Tens of thousands of Hungarians have protested for a second week against nationalist prime minister Viktor Orban, and what they call the corrupt and biased system that delivered him a landslide re-election earlier this month.
Demonstrators in Budapest complained that Mr Orban’s government tightly controls public broadcasters and his allies own many other major media, ensuring that his views dominate the airwaves and the national and regional press.
They also denounced an electoral system that favours his Fidesz party, as well as his demonisation of migrants, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) funded by liberal billionaire George Soros and an EU that he accuses of meddling in Hungary's affairs.
“This regime is held together only by fear. If from tomorrow no one is afraid, tomorrow this regime will fail,” said Peter Marki-Zay, an independent politician who stunned Fidesz by taking one of its erstwhile strongholds in a February by-election.
“History has proved that no oppressive regime lasts forever,” he told the crowd. “We shall fight... against their media dominance and factories of lies.”
Mr Marki-Zay’s victory helped prompt some co-operation in the April 8th parliamentary election between Hungary’s fractious opposition parties, but many voters still blame them for failing to back single anti-Orban candidates in all marginal seats to prevent the non-Fidesz vote being split.
“Our main goal is to dismantle Fidesz control over the public media... but opposition parties also have a task as they are also responsible for this situation we are in,” said the organisers of Saturday’s rally.
The government has spent tens of millions of taxpayer euros on campaigns attacking mostly Muslim migrants and Mr Soros, and critics say they have little idea what else Mr Orban intends to focus on during his third consecutive term in power.
‘Scary’ power
"All we heard about was Soros and migrants, so we just don't know what Orban will do for the next four years," said a protester who gave her name as Juli (26). "It was really a disgusting election campaign," said her friend Aron Horvath (27).
“If we had a proper opposition, Orban couldn’t do what he is doing now. But there is no balance and so the power that Fidesz has is scary.”
Fidesz took about 50 per cent of votes in the election which translates into two-thirds of seats in parliament, allowing the government to enact any legislation and change the constitution.
When parliament reconvenes early next month it is expected to debate Fidesz's so-called Stop Soros Bill, which would allow the imposition of fines and even bans on foreign-funded NGOs that help migrants in Hungary.
Mr Soros' Open Society Foundations (OSF), which have worked in Hungary for 30 years, say they may leave Budapest if the Bill passes. The renowned Central European University, which was founded and is funded by Mr Soros, is also considering at least a partial move away from Hungary.
Mr Orban said he would not “shed crocodile tears” over the OSF, and backed a pro-government magazine’s publication of a list of more than 200 Hungarian NGO staff, academics and journalists whom it called “Soros mercenaries”.
