European Parliament Votes to Act Against Hungarian Government

European lawmakers voted on Wednesday to take action against the government of Viktor Orban, the Prime Minister of Hungary, accusing Budapest of undermining the democratic values of the Union and the rule of law. Hungary, however, has called the vote 'deceptive' and emphasized that it will challenge it. According to a report by the Associated Press, 448 members of the European Parliament voted in favor of a report calling for the implementation of Article 7 of the EU Treaty, which could suspend Hungary's voting rights in the EU. This is the first time in the history of the European Union that its Parliament has taken such action. However, Peter Szijjarto, Hungary's foreign minister, viewed the outcome of the vote as revenge against Budapest for its strict immigration policies. He also claimed that there was 'widespread fraud' during the voting process since abstentions were not counted in the final result, making it easier to reach the necessary majority. Two-thirds of the Parliament's votes were needed to approve this report. The Associated Press states that 448 votes were enough to achieve the two-thirds majority required from 654 votes. However, if the 48 abstentions had been counted, the total votes would have been 693, meaning that 448 votes would not have been sufficient. The Hungarian foreign minister emphasized that the country will legally contest this outcome as the voting method was not correct. However, Judith Sargentini, a Dutch politician who prepared this report for the European Parliament's Civil Liberties Committee, welcomed the outcome of the vote. She stated, 'The government of Viktor Orban is leading a campaign against European values by silencing independent media, replacing critical judges, and controlling the university space.' Ms. Sargentini added, 'The people of Hungary deserve a better government. They deserve freedom of expression, the elimination of discrimination, tolerance, justice, and equality as stipulated in European treaties. This is a historic outcome for citizens of Hungary and elsewhere, as the European Parliament voted overwhelmingly in favor of values that we all cherish.' Viktor Orban has denied all these accusations and stated that the hostility towards his government is due to his country's anti-immigration policies, including the fence built in 2015 on the border with Serbia and Croatia to stop the influx of migrants into the country. Hungary also has very strict laws regarding asylum.