Monthly Archives: April 2014

Hungary’s One-way Ticket to the EU: Hungary and the Copenhagen Criteria

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Co-Authored with Lise Esther Herman. Originally Published by Books and Ideas : 10 April 2014. Link to PDF of article HERE giving bibliographic references and footnotes.

Although its action tends to be perceived as undemocratic by fellow EU member states, Hungary’s right-wing conservative party Fidesz has just been confirmed in power by a large majority. Hungary has become a test case for the Copenhagen Criteria, according to which the stability of democratic institutions is a condition for EU accession, but not for continued EU membership.

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Hungary’s Election: Solidifying the Radical Right

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Originally Published by Policy Network: 8 April 2014. Original linked here

Despite accusations of gerrymandering and campaign tampering, Fidesz won an overwhelming victory against the left-wing opposition, while one in five Hungarians voted for Jobbik, making it the strongest far-right party in the EU.

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Fidesz (Super)Majority? Right and Radical Right Parties Dominate Hungarian Elections

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Originally Published in Visegrad Insight: 7 April 2014. Original linked here.

Yesterday, Hungarians went out to cast their vote for the seventh democratic national elections. Although over 96% of the votes have been counted, onlookers remain tense to see whether or not right wing conservative party, Fidesz, will be able to maintain its two-thirds majority in parliament. Continue reading →

Fidesz have won a clear victory in Hungary’s elections, but their supermajority hangs in the balance

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Originally Published in LSE Europp: 7 April 2014. Original linked here.

Hungary held parliamentary elections on Sunday. As Erin Marie Saltman writes, Viktor Orbán’s ruling Fidesz party came out comfortably ahead in the vote and will maintain its majority in the next parliament. However with the votes still being counted, there is still some doubt over whether Fidesz will have the ‘supermajority’ required to alter the country’s constitution. Regardless of the final count, she argues that the elections mean Hungary will continue along a more centralised and nationalistic path, including a potential reorientation away from ‘Western powers’ and toward Russia.
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