Paneuropa Welcomes Election Results in Hungary

Return to Europe – Paneuropa welcomes the decision of the Hungarian voters.

For the Paneuropa Movement, the election result in Hungary is a sign that European values remain more attractive to Hungarian voters than fear-mongering, nationalism, corruption, and submission to Moscow’s interests. “With this clear decision for a change of regime, Hungarians have proven that the 1956 uprising or the 1989 Paneuropean Picnic and the dismantling of the Iron Curtain remain valid values and points of orientation,” said Rainhard Kloucek, President of the Paneuropa Movement Austria, in a statement on the preliminary election results in Hungary.

Dominik Oberhofer, Member of the National Council and member of the Presidium of the Paneuropa Movement Austria, who served as an election observer in Hungary, also expressed his satisfaction with the election result: “The election result in Hungary brings an overdue new beginning – but one under the most difficult conditions imaginable. After 16 years of absolute rule by Viktor Orban and his Fidesz party, the country stands on the brink economically, exhausted politically, and isolated within Europe. The new government is not inheriting a well-ordered house, but a shambles. This makes courageous reforms and a clear break with the Orban system all the more necessary now. Hungary deserves a fresh start – and we must support this at the European level.”

However, the election result should not be taken as a reason for an “all’s well that ends well” attitude. As Rainhard Kloucek noted: “It will still take hard work to overcome the structural links to Moscow and the influences of the structures created by the Orban-Szijjarto duo, and thus bring Hungary back onto a European path.”

c Featured image: European Union 2021 Ferenc Isza