Péter Szijártó did not mention the name Zbigniew Ziobry directly, but I don't think anyone has any uncertainty who he refers to. At a press conference, he announced that the Hungarian authorities had approved respective asylum applications from Poland, granting protection to people who would be exposed to "political persecution". This is the first specified open message from Budapest after information that the erstwhile Minister of Justice has received political exile status.
Szijjártó went on to make a very harsh diagnosis of the situation in Poland. He stated that democracy and the regulation of law over the Vistula "are in crisis and are threatened", and Polish public tv is to be "practically occupied". From the words of the Head of Diplomacy of a State belonging to the European Union, this is not a courtesy remark, but an open charge against the government of Donald Tusk.
Warsaw reacts with diplomatic opposition. An ambassador of Hungary was called to the seat of the Polish Ministry of abroad Affairs, who heard an authoritative protest against the decision on asylum. Despite this, Budapest inactive did not transmit in diplomatic channels whom it specifically protected, limiting itself to general formulas on compliance with national and EU law.
Tusk: "architect of corruption", Morawiecki: "democratura", but remains
Prime Minister Donald Tusk immediately decided to print the substance outside the country. On platform X published an entry in English in which he called Zbigniew Ziobra "a erstwhile minister of justice, an architect of the political strategy of corruption", and the choice of asylum in Hungary considered "logical". According to Tusk, Budapest grants a protective umbrella to a politician who is liable for the pathological model of governance.
"Former Minister of Justice (!), Zbigniew Ziobro, who was an architect of the political corruption system, asked Viktor Orbán's government for political asylum. A logical choice," wrote the head of government.
In turn, erstwhile Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki tries to follow a completely different way than Ziobro. In an interview with RMF FM he admitted that the decision to asylum for Ziobra "is not unusual for him", due to the fact that in his opinion, the Polish prosecutor's office present operates in a politically motivated way. At the same time, he is definitely cut off from the thought of seeking refuge abroad. He assures that "he will not search any asylum" and that "let them justice him here as they please." He besides announces that he will "fight on the beaten earth with this government".
– I'm definitely not going anywhere for asylum. Let them justice me here, as they like – said Morawiecki.
Against this background, the difference between the camp of erstwhile coalitions is even more evident. Ziobro focuses on the communicative about "political hunting" and builds the image of a refugee, Morawiecki – although he himself has allegations about the 2020 envelope election – wants to show himself as individual who does not escape national justice.
Orbán builds his communicative about Poland and the crisis moves to Europe
Péter Szijártó's words about "the crisis of democracy and the regulation of law in Poland" show that Hungary is building its own communicative about the situation on the Vistula River, in which it is not the erstwhile Minister of Justice who has a problem with the law, but Poland as a state has a problem with the regulation of law.
Every subsequent conviction of the Hungarian minister – about political persecution or "buying" public media – strengthens the communicative that Budapest saves victims alternatively than conceals accused politicians. I wonder how long Orbán will be willing to take on the political cost of protecting Ziebra and Romanowski.
