Orban wants to further restrict the opposition
Ahead of the EU elections next year, the Orban government is planning a bill that could make the opposition's work in Hungary even more difficult. The proposed draft would entail changes to the constitution and criminal law.
Hungary's government wants to criminalize the foreign financing of election campaigns and set up a new authority to monitor non-governmental organizations. The so-called "Law on the Protection of Sovereignty" of the country "puts a stop to all election fraud and provides for penalties of up to three years in prison for anyone who uses funds from abroad in an election campaign", explained Mate Kocsis, parliamentary group leader of the ruling Fidesz party, on Facebook.
Critics see the law as the latest move by the right-wing populist government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban to weaken political rivals in the run-up to next year's elections to the European Parliament and local elections. After the 2022 parliamentary elections, the Hungarian government published several intelligence reports alleging that the opposition alliance had accepted more than three billion forints (around eight million euros) from a US-based non-governmental organization for its election campaign.
In an interview with former Fox News presenter Tucker Carlson in August, Orban claimed that US taxpayers' money had been used to finance a campaign against him. The opposition denied all allegations and said the money came from Hungarian citizens living abroad. The proposed legislative package would require a constitutional amendment and a change in criminal law. The 22-page text is available on the Hungarian parliament's website.
The proposed "Law on the Protection of Sovereignty" in Hungary, which Orban's government supports, aims to make it a criminal offense for NGOs to receive foreign funding for election campaigns. This move has sparked criticism from the opposition, who view it as another attempt by Orban to weaken political opponents before the EU and local elections.
Source: www.ntv.de
