Hungarian right-wing populism: nothing is what it seems

Abstract

12 | International Union Rights | 27/1-27/2 FOCUS | RIGHT-WING POPULISM, TRADE UNIONS, AND FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN RIGHTS Hungarian right-wing populism: nothing is what it seems Since the rise of Donald Trump and the European far-right anti-foreigner, xenophobic movements, the question has been repeatedly asked in Hungary and abroad: what can the traditional institutions of the left do to counter the far right, What should the trade unions do against a tendency also spreading among workers? The far-right Party of Truth and Life (MIÉP) was already in the parliament (5,5 percent of votes in 1998), was followed by the emergence of extreme-right party Jobbik at the beginning of this millennium. At its foundation, the party described itself as ‘a principled, conservative and radically patriotic Christian party’, whose ‘fundamental purpose’ is the protection of ‘Hungarian values and interests’. It marked a significant move and brought a growing player to the surface, but without parliamentary representation. In 2007 the Hungarian Guard was established with the aim of standing for the physical, spiritual and intellectual selfdefence of Hungarians, in fact for filling the place of the ‘beaten army’ and for taking action against criminals who terrorise Hungarians, disbanded by court ruling in January 2009. An overview published on Wikipedia states that ‘[s]ince 2014 Jobbik has started to re-define itself as a conservative people’s party and changed the controversial elements of its communication. According to the party’s Manifesto on the guidelines of a future government, Jobbik represents all Hungarian citizens and people and aims to build a modern national identity, while rejecting the chauvinism of the 20th century. After the Hungarian parliamentary elections on 8 April 2018, the party polled 1,092,806 votes, securing 19.06 percent of the total, making them Hungary’s second largest party in the National Assembly’. Since the existence of Jobbik, it has been quarantined by the left and liberal parties, while contested by the party of Viktor Orbán, Fidesz. In the fight for power, for right and conservative voters over the past years we have observed a continuous shift of Jobbik to the centre, while Fidesz moved to win over far-right voters. As a consequence in 2018 Jobbik split – the Our Homeland Movement (Mi Hazánk Mozgalom) was founded by former Jobbik Vice-President and other ‘dissidents’ claiming that the party’s leadership moved away from its radical roots. Today, with the third consecutive Fidesz government since 2010, the declared far-right party Jobbik is understood as a political formation leaning to the right-centre according to its ‘popular party’ strategy, while Fidesz is seen as increasingly moving to the right. Since the announcement of the slogan ‘one camp, one flag’, the strategy of Fidesz has been not to leave uncontrolled space for other right-wing actors. The strategy of the ‘central force’ announced in 2010 was complemented by their statement that Fidesz needed the presence of a far-right party (formerly Jobbik, now the Our Homeland) to ensure its own position and image. However, its desire for control has not changed. Fidesz is an active player in the far-right scene and discourse: they take over the themes, messages catchwords and symbols of the far right, and are involved in shaping the processes. There are two extreme emotions triggering cohesion of extreme-right supporters: fear and hope. What are the reasons, key tools for holding the voting base of right-wing populism together and used with great success – by the Hungarian prime minister? ‘Nationalism’: like the right-wing populist political groups all around in Europe, the Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orbán refers to the loss of ‘national sovereignty, autonomy’, stressing that democracy is overridden by international powers (Brussels, IMF, multinationals, big banks) by unelected and powerful supranational bodies. In the enemy image, the ‘internal enemy’ is the left and liberals, financed by ‘Soros’ serving these forces. With this, a sense of fear is created, whereby the hope is provided by the governing forces. The ‘national government’ promise to reinforce the nation state restore popular sovereignty, protect democracy, and the charismatic leader at the forefront telling the only truth, is the only one...