MEPs of Hungary’s ruling Fidesz party are leaving the European People’s Party (EPP) after the EPP adopted an amendment to its basic rules of precudure at today’s meeting. In a letter to EPP group leader Manfred Weber, Viktor Orban wrote it was “disappointing” to see that while hundreds of thousands of Europeans are hospitalised, the EPP “is trying to mute and ban our democratically elected MEPs.”
Viktor Orban wrote that “the amendment of the rules of the EPP Group are clearly a hostile move towards Fidesz and our voters. Limiting our MEPs’ ability to carry out their duties as elected Members of the European Parliament deprives Hungarian voters of their democratic rights.”
THIS IS ANTIDEMOCRATIC, UNJUST AND UNACCEPTABLE.
Therefore, the governing body of Fidesz has decided to leave the EPP Group immediately.”
Regarding the decision Kinga Gal, chair of the Fidesz-Christian Democrat (KDNP) delegation in the EP and Tamas Deutsch, its leader, said it was “unfortunate and politically unacceptable that at a time of a pandemic which claims the lives of thousands of European citizens, putting them and our economies under unprecedented pressure, the EPP Group is engaging in hasty administrative maneuvers and restricting the rights of MEPs through questionable suspension rules.”
Fidesz MEPs added that they had expressed their legal and political concerns on several occasions during the talks, but the final version of the amendment to the European People’s Party’s statutes failed to provide a satisfactory response to these issues. As a result, the adopted amendment to the rules poses the risk that Fidesz MEPs will not be able to exercise their rights as representatives.
In their view, the democratic decision of nearly 2 million Hungarian citizens supporting Fidesz in the European parliamentary elections must be fully respected in all circumstances, and the rights of their elected representatives can in no way be limited or revoked. They are convinced that meting out a legal punishment for political differences is anti-democratic and unworthy of the European People’s Party.
Therefore, in accordance with the decision made by the governing body of the Fidesz-Hungarian Civic Alliance, the 12 Fidesz MEPs will leave the group of the European People’s Party, their statement says.
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