Hungary defends itself against mercenaries

Viktor Orbán decided to defend Hungary's independency more strongly. He created an institution that has no precedent in Europe. Hungary defends its national identity by disarming another instrument of Western influence on national policy. This immediately sparked outrage at “the full civilized world.”

There is no democratic country in the planet where support for political parties from abroad is allowed. It's in theory, worse with practice. Sometimes the fall of customs goes so far that no 1 cares about specified "dairy" as the candidate of opposition as Prime Minister, Péter Márki-Zay, who after losing the run mentioned that his MMM political movement (Mindenko Magyarországa Mozgalom – Hungary for Everyone) received millions of zlotys from the United States.

This careless message of Viktor Orbán's countercandidate in the election triggered an avalanche. It was a direct reason for taking on a serious problem – backing policies outside the country. First, the case was thoroughly investigated. At the request of the Parliamentary Committee State Audit Office (Állami Számvevőszék) conducted an investigation, supported by peculiar services. The scandal resounded, further parts of secret papers were published, as a result, it was revealed that the opposition run of the candidate for Prime Minister (Péter Márki-Zay) spent $5.5 million PLN (1.86 billion forints), coming from abroad. For specified a tiny country it's a immense amount of money – let's remind that the winning candidate of the Law and Justice organization in the 2020 presidential election officially spent US$7.2 million.

The politician admitted he had received money for the run from the American “Action for Democracy”.

It's a recently founded fund whose boss was Dávid Korányi, erstwhile Prime Minister's chief advisor Gordon Bajnai, Prime Minister of the left-wing government of 2009-2010, presently working for Western financial institutions, and cooperating with the ECFR think tank, funded by George Soros. Action for Democracy is just a machine, so far it has not been revealed who contributed this money to the American foundation account.

Powered from abroad was besides Movement 99 by Gergely KarácsonyMayor of Budapest. Here it was utilized as a cover for the transfer of PLN 6 million (500 million forints) of the microgrant platform. Thanks to 19 grants from 1 individual (Gábor Perjés), closely connected to the left, 917.695 euros and 3,900 pounds of sterling were included in the mayor's opposition organization's account.

The case has matured to a serious resolution. Although Hungarian law (as well as Polish law) prohibits the financing of elections abroad, the Hungarian opposition circumvented the rules, transferring money through political organizations and business associations. Firstly, six opposition political parties received a punishment of nearly $12.5 million. Later, a strategy solution was besides prepared – an act of protecting sovereignty.

"It closes legal gaps, so dollars will not be able to flow to the trunks of the left and their media. It's unfair that they want to influence people's political decisions through abroad money, according to their interests. We trust that this law will defend us from it" - argued the Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. The main nonsubjective of the fresh law is to prevent backing from abroad of political parties, even erstwhile they are transferred to social organisations or media alternatively than straight to parties themselves.

The problem is serious, even with catastrophic dimensions. As many as 81% of Europe's population believe that abroad influence is simply a threat to democracy and that something needs to be done about it. An overwhelming part of society believes that abroad influences dominate, people vote due to misinformation, elections are secretly manipulated by abroad states, and people are forced to vote against their will. These are all the results of the Eurobarometer. What a shocking assessment of our democracy!

The problem is that today's liberal democracies are actually funded by alien influences, they are the result. The ruling Europe elites would not last long without support from abroad. Therefore, if Brussels takes the lead in adopting the package in the Defence of Democracy, and it does so, 1 can be certain that it will not service what is simply a crucial threat. It will only increase the power of Brussels and the Eurocrats will grow in feathers.

However, Prime Minister Orbán has the ability to deal with matters that are crucial to society, so he took the problem seriously. I hit where it truly hurts – in my wallet. The situation is very clear: “Europe has lost its ability to decide its own fate. I mean, he can't specify his own goals and choose the means to accomplish them. It is incapable of independent and sovereign action." The reason? “Europe lacks politicians today, but there are bureaucrats everywhere. In addition, they are not conceptually neutral, as this profession requires, but through them EU institutions have been intellectually mastered by progressive liberal hegemony, imported from the US."

Hungary already has practice in controlling the financing of public activities. In 2017, regulations were introduced requiring NGOs to registry in court as "an organisation financed from abroad“ if the funds coming from there exceeded EUR 23 000. They shall declare payments and inform the recipients of their publications that the institution is financed from abroad. A public registry of specified institutions was besides established. In 2018, the "Stop Soros" Act entered into force. It was targeted at NGOs, supporting illegal immigration. They had to registry and their income was taxed. And if they receive more money from abroad than from Hungary, they can be banned.

The bill was published on 22 November 2022. He justified him. Máté Kocsis, Head of Fidesz in Parliament: “The act of protecting sovereignty will make it hard for those who sale our homeland for dollars. It's about left-wing journalists, pseudo activists and dollar politicians. They are the ones who want to take over the interests of the American Democrats and multinationals from Brussels, and will pay tribute for this by abandoning Hungary's economical interests."

Thanks to the bill, this state function will be protected institutionally. The Office for the Protection of Sovereignty (Szuverenitásvédelmi Hivatal) will be an independent government agency, with its own budget, a six-year word of President, holding immunity. In February he will act, the head became a longtime associate of the Prime Minister – Tamas Lanchi. The main task of the Bureau is to analyse and measure external interference in the democratic decision-making process, detect manipulation of information and influence on election results. He has the right to get all the essential information, including from peculiar services. The Bureau will print a study annually on abroad influences and backing in politics.

Elections and backing are to be a peculiar focus. The fresh political passage of the puzzle is called "civil society", referred to as NGOs (NGOs). They were utilized as a channel of financial support for political parties. And that's the tool of abroad influence on election results. specified organisations, financed outside Hungary, will no longer be able to usage these funds to support political parties in the elections, whether straight or indirectly.

This can indeed undermine the foundations of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that require external power. These are global networks, mainly powered in the US with government money or financial magnates like Soros, Bloomberg, Rockefellers or another liberal philanthropists. Another tool for Western influence on election results and political decisions has been disarmed.

Hence the protests of “the full civilized world”. He's the 1 who decides what's a abroad influence and what's not. Defenders of democracy from the U.S. State Department clearly criticised: "New law is not compatible with our values of democracy, individual freedom and the regulation of lawIt’s okay. ” They say it equips the government with “dragon” tools. This rhetoric accompanies Hungarian government from the very beginning of Viktor Orbán's rule, has ceased to make an impression, it has come together like an old record, but it is inactive being played.

U.S., which in many ways defend themselves from alien influences, through ambassador David Pressman they reserve that the Hungarian solution is not a "foreign agent law" (FARA), or law protecting America from abroad influences since 1938, erstwhile it feared the increasing influence of Nazi Germany. Almost from an age, it has been utilized to oversee all abroad influence agents, but Washington does not let others to have akin rights.

Viktor Orbán replied to the American government: “Stop teaching us, that is all we ask.” And while you're at it, Donald Trump "It seems to be a pure hypocrisy that the American government defends democracy in another parts of the world."

It is not only the US that is protesting, all light and liberal Europe, in the form of EU Commissioners, the Council of Europe, and, of course, the NGOs. Among the protesters there are dozens of global promotions of democracy and human rights, specified as Amnesty global or Transparency global and their local counterparts (e.g. the Hungarian Helsinki Committee). Viktor Orbán rejects this criticism decisively and hardly: “These are people who live from protesting, this is simply a protest by mercenaries.”

Andrzej Szczęsniak

photo profile of Viktor Orban

Think Poland, No. 3-4 (14-21.01.2024)