EU lawmakers declare Hungary is no longer a democracy

BRUSSELS: European Union lawmakers on Thursday declared that Hungary has become “a hybrid regime of electoral autocracy” under the leadership of its nationalist government led by PM Viktor Orban, and its undermining of the bloc’s democratic values had taken Hungary out of the community of democracies. In a resolution that passed 433-to-123 with 28 abstentions, the lawmakers raised concerns about Hungary’s constitutional and electoral systems, judicial independence, possible corruption, public procurement irregularities, LGBTQ+ rights, as well as media, academic and religious freedoms.

The lawmakers said Hungary — which its populist PM characterises as an “illiberal democracy” — has left behind many of the democratic values of the bloc. The vote is the latest in aseries of showdowns between the EU’s institutions and Orban’s government.

The bloc’s executive arm, European Commission, is expected to announce Sunday it is prepared to suspend payments of some EU money to Hungary over its alleged violations. The vote is highly symbolic in that it sets Hungary apart from other EU countries. But it doesn’t impose any penalty on Orban’s regime, nor does it bind other EU countries into taking any action.