Hungarian Justice Minister Judit Varga has struck back at calls by a number of left-wing MEPs for EU observers to oversee the upcoming Hungarian general election, accusing the European left of attempting to interfere in the country’s democratic process.
In response to accusations outlined in a joint letter published on Jan. 18, in which MEPs shared concerns that the Hungarian election may not “be held to the highest democratic standards,” Varga took to social media to slam the attempt by those in Brussels to undermine and discredit the election.
“The European left would intervene in the Hungarian elections,” Varga wrote, claiming that “the Hungarian election campaign started in Brussels months ago.”
The justice minister insisted the contents of the letter was “of course full of slips and sudden reviews about our country,” and claimed the “goal of the European left is clear: they want to influence the results of the vote.”
However, Varga insisted the Hungarian people will not be deterred. “We will be here, stay awake and we will not allow anyone to speak about the decision of the Hungarians from abroad!”
In a follow-up to the offending letter, co-signed by 62 MEPs, self-proclaimed EU federalist Guy Verhofstadt took to Twitter, warning his followers that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán will “play it dirty,” in reference to the election on April 3.
“The outcome matters to us all. Europe’s democracy and sovereignty will be at stake,” Verhofstadt added.
Varga’s remarks followed a similar line to those offered by her colleague and Hungary’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Péter Szijjártó, who on Wednesday told U.S. talk show host, Tucker Carlson: “We are usually faced by the lies and the fake news produced by the international liberal mainstream.”
When asked by Carlson why Western liberal governments and the mainstream media dislike Hungary, Szijjártó replied: “I think why they hate us is that we are conducting a patriotic, Christian-based policy.
“The target of ours is to fulfill the national interest. We are conservatives and in the meantime we are successful, so basically our existence is a danger for them.
“Our way is the conservative, patriotic, Christian, democratic way, respecting our history and religious heritage, respecting our values like family. This brings success also,” Szijjártó insisted.
Insiders from Hungary’s political opposition have gone on the record saying their campaign is in “disarray,” while a number of policies from the Orbán government designed to fight inflation, including a freeze on mortgage interest rate payments, are being partly credited with the party taking a commanding new lead in the polls.
