For context: Although not directly vetoing any of the sanctions against Russia, Hungary has been their most vocal European critic and in many ways continues to blame the west for the war and the...
For context: Although not directly vetoing any of the sanctions against Russia, Hungary has been their most vocal European critic and in many ways continues to blame the west for the war and the hardships that it has brought. This article sheds some light into what's been going on behind the scenes and why Hungary has taken the position that it has.
While a democracy on paper, for the past decade Hungary has practically been a one-party state, partly due to the government fully controlling all major traditional media, and partly due to the opposition parties' inability to work together. During this time, the country has become increasingly hostile towards western liberal values, and moved closer to Russia (and China), to an extent that some question who is really running the show in Budapest. Elections earlier this year were seen by many as the final hope to change this, but with the war breaking out and the opposition failing to deliver, Viktor Orbán's governing party only increased their control.
The article was published by Direkt36, a non-profit investigative journalism centre in Hungary. Although not a traditional news outlet, they are practically a voice for the online opposition media and very critical of the government, so read the article also with that in mind.
For context: Although not directly vetoing any of the sanctions against Russia, Hungary has been their most vocal European critic and in many ways continues to blame the west for the war and the hardships that it has brought. This article sheds some light into what's been going on behind the scenes and why Hungary has taken the position that it has.
While a democracy on paper, for the past decade Hungary has practically been a one-party state, partly due to the government fully controlling all major traditional media, and partly due to the opposition parties' inability to work together. During this time, the country has become increasingly hostile towards western liberal values, and moved closer to Russia (and China), to an extent that some question who is really running the show in Budapest. Elections earlier this year were seen by many as the final hope to change this, but with the war breaking out and the opposition failing to deliver, Viktor Orbán's governing party only increased their control.
The article was published by Direkt36, a non-profit investigative journalism centre in Hungary. Although not a traditional news outlet, they are practically a voice for the online opposition media and very critical of the government, so read the article also with that in mind.