Budapost » Does the West want to oust Orbán?
Does the West want to oust Orbán?
Népszabadság believes Mr Barroso has "sent the silk cord" to PM Viktor Orbán, while Magyar Nemzet compares the current pressure from Washington and Brussels to post-war Soviet interference.
"Orbán has been sent the silk cord" – writes deputy editor Gábor Horváth in Népszabadság. The expression is a reference to the 150 year period of Ottoman Turkish rule, when local governors who fell into disgrace were sent a silk cord by the Sultan with which to hang themselves.
In Magyar Nemzet, the deputy editor Szabolcs Szerető contends that "an outside force intends to push aside the sovereign decision of the Hungarian electorate." In 1945 the right-wing Smallholders' Party won the elections, but the Soviet military command imposed a coalition with the Communists. Szerető admits that while "there is no comparison between the two worlds," nevertheless "the power formula is the same." He argues that the latest ruling of the Constitutional Court, which abolished important paragraphs of the controversial Media Act and the Penal Code, and struck down the Church Act as a whole, shows clearly how mistaken it was to accuse the government of abolishing the system of checks and balances (See Budapost, December 20).
Szerető ends his commentary on an ironic note, addressed to Mr Barroso: "What a pity that he stopped short of suggesting a new prime minister, a loyal regent to replace Viktor Orbán." The right-wing commentator cautions, nonetheless, against a knee-jerk reaction, and points out that it is Hungary that is asking for a credit line.