Hungary Leaves EU Parliament’s Conservative Alliance

Hungary’s Prime Minister, Victor Orban, rose to power on a highly populist platform (Static Flickr).

Hungary’s ruling right-wing Fidesz party pulled out of the EU legislature’s largest conservative alliance, the European People’s Party (EPP). This move came in response to the EPP adopting new procedures that would allow them to expel not only individual lawmakers but also entire parties with a simple majority rather than a two-thirds supermajority vote.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán criticized the policy change as being “tailor-made” to target the Fidesz party. He claimed the EPP’s rules are “anti-democratic, unjust, and unacceptable” and strip the Hungarian public of democratic participation.

Before Orbán withdrew membership himself, the EPP was expected to put forth a motion to expel the Fidesz party at its next in-person meeting. The EPP supported the rule change with a 148-28 vote, and the new simple majority requirement would have made it easier for Hungary’s 11 lawmakers to be overpowered.

The EU and EPP have both been consistent critics of Orban’s populist policies and targeting of journalists and the LGBTQ+ community, accusing the Fidesz party of democratic backsliding. In December 2020, the EPP suspended the head of the Fidesz delegation, Tamas Deutsch, from participating in plenary discussions and stripped him of his group positions.

Liberal lawmakers in the EU have welcomed Fidesz’s departure. “Fidesz should have been kicked out years ago. Instead, the EPP Group sat by and watched while Orban’s anti-democratic government attacked European citizens’ freedoms again and again,” said Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats Chairwoman Iratxe Garcia. The EPP’s conservative members are also satisfied with Orban’s withdrawal, as many had argued that the Fidesz party ran contrary to their principles and undermined their legitimacy.

As it realigns itself with a new group in the European Parliament, the Fidesz party may choose to join the European Conservatives and Reformists or the Identity and Democracy groups. Mujtaba Rahman of the Eurasia Group anticipates that Orban’s decision “will lead to him adopting more extreme positions towards Brussels and escalating tensions between the two” to compensate for the loss in influence and political legitimacy from EPP membership.

Orban stated that the party is in talks with its allies in Italy and Poland to join a new group in the European Parliament. He mentioned that the Fidesz party seeks a conservative grouping that prioritizes traditional family values and is against open borders for migrants. 

Hungary would greatly benefit from the EU’s coronavirus response stimulus, especially as their healthcare system experiences increasing pressure. However, Orban may face difficulties in acquiring the necessary funds, which are dependent on adherence to rule of law, after angering powerful EU member states.