The delegation of the Council of Europe (CoE) on Wednesday, after a two-day visit to Budapest, expressed concern about the “toxic climate” before the parliamentary elections in Hungary, which will take place on April 12, AFP reported.
In a statement, the RE delegation said they left with the feeling that the stakes are not just who gets the voters’ votes, but whether the democratic contest itself “remains truly open, pluralistic and fair.”
Fear of manipulation
The CoR delegation expressed concern over reports of aggressive and misleading campaigns, including ongoing propaganda against Ukraine and the EU, and the pushing of a “war or peace” narrative to “stigmatise opponents instead of enabling an informed democratic decision”.
“The future of Hungary must be decided by the voters – not by campaigns based on fear, defamation, unequal rules or manipulation from abroad,” said the head of the delegation, Pablo Hispán from Spain.
Serious allegations
Members of the delegation also expressed their “serious concerns regarding the integrity of the entire electoral environment,” including “prolonged state of emergency, misuse of state resources, data and institutions for partisan purposes, serious allegations of vote-buying and voter intimidation.”
The statement went on to point to a “media environment in which many voters have limited access to pluralistic and independent information.”
Orbán in a competitive battle
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is running for a fifth prime ministerial mandate in the parliamentary elections, but he is lagging behind in public opinion polls. In the election campaign, Orbán often accuses the European Union and Ukraine of supporting the Hungarian opposition. Its leader Péter Magyar, on the other hand, claims that Orbán relies on the help of Russia and his friend, Russian President Vladimir Putin, to stay in power.
The Council of Europe is an international organization whose task is to monitor the state of respect for human rights, democracy and the rule of law on the European continent.
