Outside Hungary, the voices against Viktor Orbán have subsided recently. Europe has also turned all its attention to the war in the Middle East and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The Hungarian prime minister has lost some of his political prestige in Europe, as have several allies in central and south-eastern Europe – including Poland, after PiS lost the election.

However, Orbán wants to honor his reputation as the “troublemaker of Europe” and the creator of an “unfree state”. In his letter to the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, Orban indirectly announced that he will veto the start of accession negotiations with Ukraine. A few days later the Hungarian government restarted one of its so-called “national consultations”, as well as a massive poster campaign across the country.

This time the target is Ukraine, but also the immigration policy of the EU. And internally, the Hungarian government continues to repress its political opponents, relying on the so-called “sovereignty law”.

Propaganda through “national consultation”

After years of controversy, the E.U. seems to have grown tired of Orbán, while the latter adopts an increasingly radical rhetoric: he likens the legal procedures of the E.U. against Hungary for corruption with the advance of the Soviet army, which crushed the Hungarian revolution, and accuses “Brussels bureaucrats” of wanting to impose on Hungary a “population exchange” with Muslim immigrants, as well as an “LGBTQ lifestyle” . The new “national consultation” is of the same logic, where it is stated that “the news about aggressive LGBTQ propaganda is increasing”.

In 2022, the European Commission appealed to the European Court of Justice against Hungary over a law that effectively equated so-called “LGBTQ propaganda” with pedophilia and prohibited minors from accessing content about homosexuality and transsexuality. Under this law, a bookstore in Budapest was ordered to pay a fine of 32,000 euros for displaying in public a comic for teenagers about the love story between two boys.

“Are you pro-immigrant ghettos?”

During the national consultation the government sends questionnaires to all Hungarian households. In these questions are asked in a distorting way. It is asked, for example, if anyone agrees with the “immigrant ghettos” planned by Brussels, or if they support the financial support of the EU. to Palestinian terrorists.

In a demagogic way, the questions concerning Ukraine are also given. One wonders, say, whether Hungarians are in favor of Ukraine joining the EU, since the country would then receive a large part of the Union’s funds.

Citizens can choose between peace or spending “more EU money”. on the battlefield.” They can stand in favor of protecting Hungarian farmers and against the import of genetically modified Ukrainian grain. And in favor of Hungary receiving European funds, before continuing support to Ukraine.

Good business with Russia

Orban constantly accuses the West of being responsible for the war in Ukraine and that he does not want to put an end to the bloodshed. He is in favor of improving relations with Russia and lifting EU sanctions.

Hungary is today the only country in the EU. which still implements major projects with Russia even in wartime: recently Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó signed with the head of the Russian nuclear power authority Rosatom, Alexei Likatsev, a plan to implement the planned expansion of a Hungarian nuclear power plant in Pax.

In addition, Orbán follows Russia’s example in his legislative work as well, for example in the formulation of the so-called sovereignty law, which will make it easier to take measures against critics of the government and which is being debated these days in the parliament.

If passed, the law would criminalize all forms of foreign funding of parties and election campaigns. In addition, the establishment of the “Service for the Protection of Sovereignty” is foreseen, which will check whether any parties, organizations or individuals violate the national sovereignty of the country.

Government critics targeted

This service will have unlimited access to all kinds of information for those it investigates. Based on the “sovereignty reports” of the authorities, investigative and criminal proceedings can be initiated against the accused. The remarkable thing is that neither the law nor the explanatory text defines the concept of “national sovereignty” and what action is considered a violation of it. The bill is so vague that even foreign-funded media could be deemed illegal. In Russia there has been a corresponding regulatory framework since 2012, the so-called “law on foreign agents”.

Strong mobilizations and protests against the bill are taking place in Hungary. Many important non-governmental organizations argue in their joint position that this is in fact a “law to protect arbitrariness”.

Leading Hungarian lawyers also consider that the bill is against the Hungarian Constitution, as well as EU law. But this does not seem to bother the Hungarian prime minister. Besides, at a recent conference in Switzerland, he revealed his strategy: “Hungary is not the black sheep of Europe, but the first swallow.”