Hungary chooses Europe: Orbán is out
Honking cars, loud music, singing people, and chants: Anyone walking through Budapest on election night could have thought Hungary had just won the World Cup. What broke through here was relief and euphoria. Hungary has a new future – without Viktor Orbán. After 16 years, Hungarians have voted out Orbán and his corrupt mafia state.
The message from Hungary to the world is clear: The people can topple autocrats, even when the system has been hijacked by a corrupt party elite. The AfD, Le Pen, and the White House will have watched Orbán’s defeat with horror. For years, they have emulated Orbán and campaigned hard for him. Yet the icon of illiberal Europe has failed – due to a disastrous economy, rampant corruption, and his own unfair electoral system.
The result also shows: It is worth fighting. This applies to the people of Hungary. But it also applies to us in Brussels. It is worth standing up for European values, with words and with tougher measures. In the European Parliament, we fought long and hard to freeze EU billions for Orbán. In the end, we succeeded.
Now we must ensure that something like Orbán never happens again in the European Union. We must abolish the principle of unanimity. Only then can we prevent Europe from being blackmailed by the next autocrat.
This week, however, we celebrate Hungary’s return to the club of democracies.
Join us to discuss: What does the election mean for Europe? (German-language events)
- Webinar on April 13 at 8:00 PM
- Insta Live on Wednesday, April 15 at 8:00 PM @europafreund / @toni_hofreiter
