In Hungary, the government puts its “Russian-style” law against opponents on hold
Viktor Orban's majority has postponed the vote on the "transparency" bill until this fall, a measure aimed at media outlets and NGOs critical of the government, accused of threatening national sovereignty. Hungarian observers are trying to explain this sudden retreat.
Presented on May 13, the "transparency" bill, which primarily targets media outlets and NGOs accused of serving foreign interests, was expected to be ratified without a hitch next week. And for good reason: the Orban camp holds two-thirds of the seats in the Hungarian Parliament. But on Wednesday, June 4, the leader of the Fidesz majority in Parliament, Mate Kocsis, announced that the vote on the controversial bill, dubbed a "Russian-style law" by his opponents, would not take place until the fall.
"The majority is united on the need to use legal instruments to defend [Hungarian] sovereignty. However, there is a debate on their nature," Mate Kocsis explains to the Index portal . A "wise" report, This is what Minister Gergely Gulyas (in charge of the Prime Minister Viktor Orban's office) believes, according to the official MTI news agency , because "the project has not only sparked political debate but also comments from many organisations."
“Were they afraid of the intimidation law?” grumbles HVG , who points to a “step back” on a law perceived as a way to inhibit dissenting voices. The executive “blurs communication” and “manages the opposition, continuing the trend started with the announcement of the
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