It was President Trump’s first major political defeat. Last week GOP leaders yanked their bill to repeal “Obamacare” off the House floor when it became clear it would fail. House Speaker Paul Ryan told President Trump that he was unable to convince fellow republicans and the bill would not pass. The Freedom Caucus, a group of influential conservative congressman played […]
The Orbán government announced that it is turning to the people to help it “stop Brussels” on six different fronts. The ruling Fidesz party is launching another so-called “national consultation,” which is nothing more than a polemical and partisan campaign exercise, using taxpayers’ money, aimed at convincing Hungarians that they are at war with the West, the European Union, with […]
Hungary’s governing party got a rare slap on the wrist on Friday, after the National Authority for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (NAIH) indicated in a statement that the country’s intelligence agencies were not to be used by political players for partisan purposes. The statement comes after Szilárd Németh, a prominent Fidesz MP and vice chair of Parliament’s National […]
The Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) launched its new campaign and national tour on Thursday and kept its central slogan as simple as possible: “Let the rich pay!” Standing in front of a grey, socialist era apartment block and a billboard featuring László Botka, the Socialist candidate for prime minister in 2018 with the words: “Let’s do justice — Let the […]
Géza Jeszenszky, Hungary’s former ambassador to Oslo under the second Orbán cabinet and the country’s ambassador to Washington under Viktor Orbán’s first term in power, suggested that Hungarians are being brainwashed today, which is why so many in Hungary fail to see the risk associated with the government’s pro-Putin and pro-Russian politics. Mr. Jeszenszky compared this to the brainwashing in […]
János Áder, the technocratic Fidesz politician who was the mastermind behind the electoral map and system that heavily favours the ruling party, was elected by parliament on Monday to serve a second five year term as President of Hungary. Mr. Áder and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán have had their differences over the years and not too long ago, it appeared […]
Will far-right populist “peroxide-blond crusader” Geert Wilders be the Netherlands’ new prime minister? And why does he spend so much time in Hungary? On March 15th the Netherlands will elect its new Parliament, the Tweede Kamer or Lower House. According to opinion polls the far-right Freedom party might come out ahead and Wilders has a good chance to become the […]
U.S. Congressman Robert Pittenger’s Communications Director reponded to a query by HFP’s György Lázár, in connection to two articles that appeared on our site about Sebastian Gorka’s ties to the far-right in Hungary and the participation of Jobbik MP Márton Gyöngyösi at an Intelligence, Terrorism and Cyber Security Forum organized by the Congressman. We received the following response. * Good afternoon, […]
In a series of articles, HFP will be looking into the meteoric rise of Sebastian Gorka, President Trump’s counterterrorism adviser. Recently questions have been raised about Mr. Gorka’s competence and his connection to anti-Semitic groups and individuals. This piece is the first installment of our series. * Sebastian Gorka is a British-born British, Hungarian and US citizen who moved to […]
“Those who have, those who are rich, will find themselves kindly contributing more to solving the country’s problems,” quipped László Botka, the Mayor of Szeged and the Hungarian Socialist Party’s (MSZP) candidate for prime minister in the 2018 elections to the 444.hu news site on Tuesday. The interview highlighted the left-wing turn that MSZP is taking under Mr. Botka, signalling […]
