Hungary opposition wins Budapest in blow for PM Orban

France24 – AFP, 14 November 2019

Budapest (AFP) - Hungary's opposition scored a shock win in the Budapest mayoralty election Sunday, the first electoral blow for nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban since he came to power in 2010.

The win was "historic" said the pro-European centre-left challenger Gergely Karacsony, 44, who was backed by a wide range of opposition parties from across the political spectrum.

The mild-mannered former political scientist led by 51 percent of the vote ahead of the incumbent Istvan Tarlos on around 44 percent, with 82 percent of votes counted.

In office since 2010, the 71-year-old Tarlos, backed by Orban's right-wing Fidesz party, congratulated the new mayor by phone, Karacsony told cheering supporters.

"We will take the city from the 20th century to the 21st," said the pro-EU Karacsony, who was one of the few opposition politicians to win a district in the last election five years ago.

"Budapest will be green and free, we will bring it back to Europe," he said.

Karacsony had compared the Budapest race to the Istanbul mayoral election in March, in which the candidate of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's party was defeated by the opposition challenger.

"Istanbul voted against an aggressive illiberal power in many ways similar to Orban's regime," Karacsony told AFP before the vote.

Since 2010 Orban has reformed Hungary's institutions and concentrated power and media organs in his hands, and regularly clashed with Brussels over migration and rule-of-law issues.

He has also cruised to consecutive landslide victories at the polls, partly due to electoral rule changes he oversaw.

Fidesz had run a highly negative campaign attacking Karacsony for an allegedly pro-migration stance and his "unsuitability" for the job, while Orban had threatened to withhold cooperation from municipalities lost by his party.

But pre-vote favourite Tarlos and Fidesz, which brands itself as Christian-conservatve, were damaged by a sex scandal involving a Fidesz mayor in the western city of Gyor that erupted last week.

"We acknowledge this decision in Budapest, and stand ready to cooperate," Orban told supporters at a rally.

First crack

The elections were seen as a rare chance for the beleaguered opposition to roll back the power of Fidesz, who also hold a supermajority in parliament, and Orban who has boasted about building an "illiberal state".

Parties from left to right joined forces in an effort to wrest control of Fidesz-held municipalities and prevent an electoral rout for the first time in almost a decade.

In many municipalities just one opposition challenger lined up against Fidesz.

Polls had still forecast only slight gains nationwide for the opposition outside the captial, but in another surprise it won 10 of 23 of Hungary's main cities.

The vote was seen as a litmus test for its new strategy of cooperation, which could offer a route to mount a serious challenge to Orban at the next general election in 2022.

"The win (in Budapest) was just the first step on the road to changing Hungary," said Karacsony.

"It proves that the new strategy of opposition cooperation works, it was its best result in years," said Andras Biro-Nagy, an analyst with Policy Solutions.

"Budapest is the big prize, but the breakthrough in numerous provincial cities is at least as important," said Biro-Nagy.

"It is the first crack in the Orban system, and it seems guaranteed that the strategy will continue for 2022," he said.

MEPs disqualify two candidates for new EU Commission

Yahoo – AFP, Marc BURLEIGH, Clément ZAMPA, September 30, 2019

Incoming European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has suffered a
blow to her choice of team with two candidates being disqualified (AFP Photo/
FREDERICK FLORIN)

Brussels (AFP) - European lawmakers vetting candidates for the new European Commission on Monday declared two of the 26 unfit to take office due to conflicts of interest.

The nominees put forward by Hungary and Romania were rejected by the European Parliament's legal affairs committee just ahead of confirmation hearings for the team picked by incoming Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.

A German member of the committee, Tiemo Woelken, tweeted that members had decided that Romania's Rovana Plumb and Hungary's Laszlo Trocsanyi are "unfit to become commissioners".

French member Manon Aubry told journalists a vote confirmed the committee's finding last week that the two commissioners "cannot take office because of conflicts of interest".

The decision weakens von der Leyen's hand as the European Parliament holds confirmation hearings for the remaining commissioner candidates, running from Monday to October 8.

It also obliges Hungary and Romania to put forward new candidates.

Most of the rest of the team chosen by von der Leyen -- who is already confirmed -- are expected to get through the grilling, forming a near gender-balanced executive drawn from across the European bloc's member states.

Members of the new European Commission with their portfolios (AFP Photo/

Patricio ARANA)

But the legal affairs committee pre-empted the wider parliament's hearings by using a new power to scrutinise candidates.

Trocsanyi, meant to take charge of EU enlargement issues, was tripped up over government contracts awarded to his law firm.

In a statement, Trocsanyi slammed the "blatant injustice" of his disqualification and vowed to fight it "before the responsible court of justice".

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban had claimed the committee's move was motivated by Trocsanyi -- his former justice minister -- helping "to stop migration".

Plumb, a former Romanian labour minister, was stymied over two problematic loans that raised suspicions of corruption.

A vice chairman on the legal affairs committee, Sergey Lagodinsky, tweeted that the disqualifications were "a victory for parliamentary democracy".

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban claimed his candidate ran into trouble 

for helping to 'stop migration' (AFP Photo/ATTILA KISBENEDEK)

Uncomfortable questions

Hungary and Romania, while initially standing by their candidates, have said they have no lack of replacement names if necessary.

A spokeswoman for the European Commission said that von der Leyen would decide whether or not to ask for new nominees after she is officially informed by the parliamentary speaker of the committee's decision.

Some of the other designated commissioners also have clouds hanging over them.

But, while they were likely to have uncomfortable questions thrown at them in the public hearings, they were seen as being under less pressure.

The EU's anti-fraud office OLAF declined to recommend charges against Poland's candidate commissioner, Janusz Wojciechowski, after he reimbursed 11,250 euros ($12,300) for travel expenses improperly claimed while he was an MEP.

Ireland's Phil Hogan -- named to be EU commissioner for trade -- will be one 

of the first to appear in the hearings (AFP Photo/EMMANUEL DUNAND)

A similar OLAF probe into France's Sylvie Goulard remains open, but she too has already paid back 45,000 euros.

Belgium's Didier Reynders had a corruption probe against him set aside on Friday, while Spain's Josep Borrell -- named to become the EU's foreign policy chief -- was fined 30,000 euros last year for insider trading.

No British candidate

The European Parliamentary hearings were expected to also touch on a controversy over von der Leyen's decision to give the title of "Protecting our European Way of Life" to the commissioner in charge of migration.

Three commissioners-designate were to appear for hearings on Monday: Slovakia's Maros Sefkovic, to handle interinstitutional relations; Ireland's Phil Hogan, for trade; and Bulgaria's Mariya Gabriel, for innovation and youth.

The hearings end with von der Leyen's three executive vice presidents being quizzed.

Britain is the one EU member state without a future commissioner in the mix as its government is intent on it leaving the bloc on October 31, the day before the new European Commission takes office.

EU states adopt 'panda bonds' in Chinese outreach

Yahoo – AFP, Juliette RABAT, June 9, 2019

European countries are reaching out to China by issuing 'panda bonds' that
raise Beijing's profile on global financial markets (AFP Photo/PHILIPPE LOPEZ)

Paris (AFP) - EU members Hungary, Poland, Portugal and soon Austria are strengthening ties with China by issuing attractive "panda bonds" that help Beijing raise its profile on international financial markets.

Italy might join the trend as well, despite EU concerns that China may be seeking a way to increase its influence on the continent.

On May 30, Portugal became the first eurozone nation to issue renminbi-denominated bonds, raising two billion renminbi (around 250 million euros, $280 million) via a three-year instrument at a rate of 4.09 per cent.

The offer attracted strong demand, and Portugal's junior finance minister Ricardo Mourinho Felix told the financial news website ECO that Lisbon's goal was "to enter a large market with strong liquidity."

Poland and Hungary have already issued bonds on the Chinese market, in 2016 and 2017-2018 respectively, and Austria and Italy -- eurozone members like Portugal -- have said they might do so as well.

The cost of borrowing on Chinese markets is much higher than in Europe however, so the reasons for such a move likely lie elsewhere.

Portugal's deepwater port in Sines could be an Atlantic gate for Beijing's 

'Belt and Road' project (AFP Photo/PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA)

Portugal, which faced problems with financing when it was bailed out by the EU and IMF in 2011-14, now can offer less than 1.0 percent to borrow money for 10 years on European markets.

But by helping China become a bigger actor on the global financial stage, governments can get into Beijing's good books, and attract investment in sectors like financial services, infrastructure and transportation.

The Portuguese port of Sines is interested in attracting Chinese investment as part of Beijing's global "Belt and Road" network, for example.

"There are also key political or reputational concerns," notes Liang Si, an Asian debt market expert at French bank BNP Paribas.

"Any kind of sovereign issuer issuing in panda bonds could be seen as a positive political gesture to further establish their ties with China, now the second biggest economy in the world."

The bonds have existed since 2005 but they took off four years ago when the Chinese central bank decided to encourage their use as Beijing launched the "Silk Road" initiative aimed at furthering China's economic and technical influence.

"Little by little, China is trying to open its market to investors and transform its money into a reserve currency," said Frederic Rollin, an investment strategy advisor at Pictet AM.

At $48 billion, the total amount of 'panda bonds' is tiny compared with the 

overall value of China's debt market (AFP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Limited financial interest

At $48 billion, the total amount of "panda bonds" issued to date palls in comparison with the overall value of China's debt market, which is around $13 trillion.

"There are few foreign issuers in the yuan market," because it is "not particularly attractive," acknowledged Frederic Gabizon from HSBC, using another name for the renmimbi currency.

His London-based bank was one of those underwriting the Portuguese issue.

Typical operations have remained small, at between $145 million and $434 million for short-term issues.

That said, "China's importance from an economic point of view is well established, and many countries therefore wish to help it develop its financial markets," Gabizon explained.

Since 2009/2010, China has begun to look for greater influence in Europe, 

says Christopher Dembik at Saxo Banque (AFP Photo/Parker Song)

Amid growing trade tension between China and the United States, Portugal has followed Greece and several Eastern European countries in joining the "Belt and Road" project. Italy has as well, becoming the first member of the Group of Seven (G7) industrialised nations to back the project.

Rome has also said it would consider issuing "panda bonds," as Austria did in late April.

That has caught the attention of big EU nations like France and Germany.

"Since 2009/2010, China has begun to look for Trojan Horses" in Europe, said Christopher Dembik at Saxo Banque.

Beijing targets "countries that often have a greater need for investments and accept in exchange, and through an implicit agreement," to support the "panda bond" market, he added.

France and Germany, which have no problem placing sovereign debt in euros, are wary of Beijing's intentions.

It is looking for the "weak underbelly for Chinese investment in Europe and to consolidate" assets already acquired in Spain and Portugal despite reservations of other EU member states, the president of Paris-based think tank Asia Centre, Jean-Francois Di Meglio, told AFP in November.

Hungary boat tragedy captain already under investigation over earlier accident

Yahoo – AFP, June 6, 2019

Candles have been lit close to the Danube in memory of the victims (AFP
Photo/ATTILA KISBENEDEK)

The captain of a river cruise ship involved in a deadly collision last week with a smaller sightseeing boat in Budapest is already under investigation over another accident in April, Hungarian prosecutors said Thursday, as the toll rose to 17.

After last week's crash, the 64-year-old Ukrainian captain of the larger Viking Sigyn ship was arrested on suspicion of "endangering waterborne traffic resulting in multiple deaths".

Hungarian press reports said the same man, named as Yuriy C., was being investigated over the collision of another Viking ship, the Idun, with a chemicals tanker near the Dutch city of Terneuzen on April 1.

"He is being treated as a suspect in Holland," the Metropolitan Chief Prosecutor's Office told AFP in a statement, citing information from the EU judicial agency Eurojust, but without confirming the incident they were referring to.

In a statement sent to AFP on Thursday, Viking said: "We can confirm that even though the captain of the Viking Sigyn was onboard the Viking Idun on April 1, he was not serving as the ship's captain at the time of the incident."

"We are unable to comment further while the investigations of both incidents are ongoing," the statement added.

At the time of the April collision, the Idun had 43 crew and 137 passengers on board. Several passengers were injured.

Dutch authorities are still investigating the circumstances of that collision.

Hungarian prosecutors also said Thursday that the captain was suspected of "deleting data from his telephone after the collision" in Budapest.

The captain's lawyers could not be reached for comment on Thursday but said in a statement issued last Friday that he was "devastated" by the accident and insisted that he did not make any errors.

Meanwhile the death toll rose to 17 after the bodies of two more South Korean tourists were identified, leaving 11 people still missing from the occupants of the Mermaid sightseeing vessel -- nine South Koreans and two Hungarian crew members.

The Mermaid overturned and sank on May 29 seconds after colliding with the Viking Sigyn on a busy stretch of the Danube river in the heart of Budapest.

Only seven people are known to have survived the accident.

Divers have been unable to enter the sunken boat due to the strong current in a river swollen after weeks of rain.

A barge carrying a crane powerful enough to lift the Mermaid arrived in Budapest Wednesday but was to remain docked in the north of the city until the river level subsides enough to allow it to pass under several bridges to reach the accident scene.

Experts said the crane was unlikely to begin the salvage operation before the weekend.

The Viking Sigyn left Budapest with a new captain last Friday but Seoul has reportedly asked Hungarian authorities to return the ship to Budapest for the duration of the investigation.

Dutch MEP’s report leads to possible sanctions against Hungary

DutchNews, September 12, 2018

Photo: EC Audiovisual service

Dutch MEP Judith Sargentini was give a standing ovation in the European parliament on Wednesday after MEPs agreed to take disciplinary action against Hungary on the basis of a report she compiled. 

Parliament voted to take steps against Hungary over breaches of the EU’s core values, including attacks on the media, minorities and the judiciary. 

More than two-thirds of MEPs backed the censure motion – the first such vote against a member state under EU rules. If national leaders also support the motion, Hungary could face sanctions and be stripped of voting rights. 

Sargentini said later the decision sent out an important message about citizens’ rights. ‘It is up to the European leaders to take their responsibility and stop watching from the sidelines as the rule of law is destroyed in Hungary,’ she is quoted as saying by the BBC. 

‘This is unacceptable for a union that is built on democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights.’ 

Prime minister Viktor Orban said Sargentini’s report was ‘abuse of power and included ‘serious factual misrepresentations’. 

Dutch anti-Islam campaigner and MP Geert Wilders described the vote on Twitter as ‘a bloody shame’. ‘Orban is a hero and deserves the Nobel Prize,’ he said.

I am so proud that my Hungary report has the support of the European Parliament, but this is foremost about the rights of Hungarian citizens.

I thank my colleagues that stand for the protection of democracy and the rule of law, above their interest in party politics.

— Judith Sargentini (@judithineuropa) September 12, 2018

The European Parliament's vote to censure Hungary presents the assembly's dominant centre-right bloc with a dilemma over whether to retain its populist Hungarian allies or expel them months before elections https://t.co/FO0kUn5oR5

— AFP news agency (@AFP) September 13, 2018

EU states agree relocation of 120,000 refugees 'by large majority'

Yahoo – AFP, 22 Sep 2015

Migrants walk through the Hungarian countryside after crossing the border

with Croatia on September 21, 2015 (AFP Photo/Attila Kisbenedek)

Brussels (AFP) - EU interior ministers on Tuesday approved by a "large majority" a plan to relocate 120,000 refugees around the bloc but only after overriding fierce opposition from central and eastern European countries.

"Decision on relocation for 120,000 persons adopted today, by large majority of member states," the EU's Luxembourg presidency said in a tweet after an emergency meeting in Brussels.

"We, Slovaks, Romanians, Hungarians against, and Finland abstained. The resolution was accepted," Czech Interior Minister Milan Chovanec said in a separate tweet.

The four countries, led by Hungary, are bitterly opposed to the European Commission plan, insisting Brussels has no right to make them take in thousands of the people seeking refuge in Europe.

To do so, amounts to a violation of national sovereignty, they argue.

An EU diplomat told AFP the decision was taken by so-called qualified majority vote.

It means that the Commission failed to get unanimous backing from all 28 member states for its relocation plan ahead of an emergency EU leaders summit Wednesday on the worst migrant crisis since World War II.

The squabble was a repeat of the interior ministers meeting last week but this time, pressed by France and Germany, the plan was put to a vote.

The outcome is binding on all 28 member states although implementation may prove problematic given the depth of opposition and the issue will very likely feature again at Wednesday's summit.

Last week's meeting did endorse plans to relocate a separate 40,000 refugees which the Commission unveiled in May as the crisis deepened.

The diplomat said that of the 120,000, some 66,000 migrants who have been granted asylum will be relocated from Greece and Italy which along with Hungary have borne the brunt of the flood of migrants fleeing war and turmoil across the Middle East and Africa.

That leaves 54,000 places -- which Hungary had rejected in its opposition to the Commission plan -- to be redistributed.

EU sources said earlier Tuesday Greece and Italy may get most of these places, while others now finding themselves in the frontline such as Austria and Croatia could also get additional help.

The new EU refugee quotas pic.twitter.com/TKBzHw23pt

— Agence France-Presse (@AFP) 23 september 2015

Related Article:

"The New Human P1" - Sep 19-20, 2015 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) - New

Dutch police break up people smuggling gang from Syria

DutchNews, September 18, 2015

Two Syrian nationals have been arrested in the Netherlands and charged with smuggling ‘hundreds’ of people into the country via Italy, Greece, Austria and Hungary. 

The main suspect is a 35-year-old man based in Eindhoven. His 26-year-old nephew was also picked up, as was an unidentified woman. She is suspected of handling the money and was released on Sunday pending further investigation, the public prosecution department said in a statement. 

A 27-year-old man has also been arrested in Budapest in connection with the case. 

The public prosecutor said the smuggling operation began in Turkey where people paid €7,000 to be taken to Greece or Italy. The second leg of their journey, a car trip from Italy, cost a further €700. Some of the cash had to be paid before leaving Turkey, the rest on arrival. 

The investigation into the gang began a year ago and involved the authorities in Hungary, Germany, Austria and Hungary as well as Europol. 

The 35-year-old man is a Syrian with refugee status. He is said to have organised the transport, cars and drivers. According to the Nos, he was making up to €120,000 a year, but demand in recent months had driven his earnings to €20,000 a week.

China, Serbia, Hungary step up cooperation on railway deal

Want China Times, Xinhua 2015-06-24

A siding for high-speed trains at Guiyangbei Railway Station in Guizhou,
June 18. (File photo/Xinhua)

The preparations for the construction of a Chinese high-speed railway between the capital cities of Serbia and Hungary is underway and on schedule, Xinhua was told by the Serbian Ministry of Transport, Construction and Infrastructure.

On a three-day visit of Chinese vice premier Zhang Gaoli to Serbia which commenced Monday, Serbian minister Zorana Mihajlovic explained that cooperation among the three countries on the several-billion-dollar project had intensified. Mihajlovic said they would discuss the feasibility study and financing for the project of the modernization of the Belgrade-Budapest railway in mid-July.

Mihajlovic told Xinhua that the railway was strategically the most important project of cooperation with China, and the first one that involves more than one country from the region of Central and Eastern Europe on a common project.

She said that the railway from Belgrade to Budapest would be a part of the line that directly links the port city of Piraeus in Greece with at least six to eight Central and Eastern European countries and other Central and Western European countries, as a part of the greater transport route Maritime Silk Road linking the European and Asian continents.

Mihajlovic revealed that Serbia, by starting the project, had shown that it "not only welcomes and promotes the Chinese 'Road and Belt' initiative, but has taken direct action in implementing it."

The project for the modernization of the Belgrade-Budapest railway was initially agreed on in 2013 at the China-Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries leaders' meeting that took place in Bucharest, while at last year's summit held in Belgrade, China, Hungary and Serbia signed a memorandum of understanding.

At that point, Macedonia and Greece both expressed their willingness to partake in the project that is planned to turn Piraeus, the main port of Greece, into a Chinese hub for trade with Europe.

The cooperation plan for the construction of the railway was signed in the beginning of this year in Belgrade at the meeting of the Trilateral Group of China, Hungary and Serbia for Traffic and Infrastructure Cooperation, setting dates for certain phases of the project.

According to the plan, the construction of the railway should begin by the end of 2015, after the feasibility study and financial model are agreed upon, with the railway scheduled to be fully completed in 2017.

The 370 km section of the railway between Belgrade and Budapest will significantly improve the transport of passengers and goods between the two countries, as it will decrease the time of travelling of trains from eight to less than three hours.

Once finished, the double track on the route between the Mediterranean and the Danube will enable trains to run as fast as 200 km per hour, and this enables China's land-sea passage to become a new, convenient channel for trade.

One of the biggest expected impacts of the project is promoting the economic development of Hungary, Serbia, and other countries along the passage, as well as to deepen China's cooperation with countries in the region, with the hope of creating new jobs and boosting development of industry and railways.

'Hello, dictator': Hungarian prime minister faces barbs at EU summit

Growing unease among international leaders over constitutional changes made by Viktor Orban’s rightwing government

The Guardian, Shaun Walker in Riga, Friday 22 May 2015

‘Hello, dictator’: EU president jokes with Hungarian prime minister

European Union officials are not necessarily known for their sharp one-liners, but European commission head Jean-Claude Juncker had a scathing welcome for Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban at a summit in Riga on Friday, greeting him with “Hello, dictator”.

The barb, made in front of the press at the Latvian summit, came amid growing unease over the policies of Orban’s rightwing government, which has carried out constitutional changes and brought more authoritarian rule, critics say.

Orban’s response was not audible.

Delegations at the summit took several hours to hammer out a 10-page statement full of bland postulations of the EU’s Eastern Partnership programme, but ahead of the meeting Juncker was clearly in a more light-hearted mood. He also ribbed Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras for not wearing a tie.

Orban was labelled a “neofascist dictator” by US senator John McCain late last year, and has alarmed EU leaders by suggesting his country could reintroduce the death penalty and place harsh restrictions on immigration.

Further controversy has been caused by a questionnaire sent to all Hungarians by Orban’s government to sound out their views on immigration. The UN human rights office said on Friday the survey was “extremely biased” and “absolutely” shocking, as it linked migration and terrorism.

On Tuesday, former Belgian prime minister Guy Verhofstadt gave an agitated speech at the European parliament in Strasbourg, spending several minutes lambasting Orban in a furious voice, waving the immigration questionnaire in the air.

“If you attack immigration, think a little bit of the many Hungarian refugees who left their country because of the communists in 1956 and how they were received with open arms by the other people of Europe,” Verhofstadt said, to applause, while Orban looked on impassively.

“Hungarians talk straight about tough things. We don’t like to beat about the bush. We are a frank people,” the Hungarian leader responded.

Hungary Says ‘Does Not Plan’ to Introduce Death Penalty

Jakarta Globe – AFP, May 01, 2015

Hungary's Prime minister Viktor Orban arrives at the European Council
headquarters for an extraordinary summit of European leaders to deal with
 a worsening migration crisis, on April 23, 2015 in Brussels. (AFP Photo/
Thierry Charlier)

Budapest. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban “does not plan to introduce the death penalty,” his chief of staff Janos Lazar said Thursday, after strong EU criticism of Orban’s call for debate on its reintroduction.

Orban informed European Parliament president Martin Schulz by telephone that the government would debate the issue, but “the prime minister does not plan to introduce it in the country,” Lazar said.

Hungary will “keep to EU laws”, he added.

The statement came after European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker earlier warned Orban that he faced a “fight” if he reintroduced the death penalty.

“Mr. Orban should immediately make clear that this is not his intention and would it be his intention, it would be a fight,” Juncker told a press conference, stressing that the EU charter forbids the death penalty in the 28-nation bloc.

The controversy was sparked on Tuesday when Orban pushed for a debate on bringing back capital punishment, saying existing penalties in Hungary were too soft.

Orban’s comments immediately sparked a sharp response after a series of spats with Brussels over his hardline stance on human rights and civil society norms — key values for the European Union.

Hungary abolished capital punishment after the end of communism in 1990, fulfilling a key condition for membership of the European Union, which it joined in 2004.

Agence France-Presse

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban loses super-majority in parliament

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his Fidesz party have suffered a critical by-election defeat. The result may signal a decline in popularity of the right-wing party that has ruled in a coalition since 2010.

Deutsche Welle, 23 Feb 2015

Orban and his right-wing Fidesz party have ruled Hungary in a coalition with the Christian Democrats since 2010, using their powerful two-thirds majority to make broad constitutional changes that critics say have placed limits on press freedom and judicial authority.

But the majority was lost Sunday in a by-election as voters in Veszprem, a historically conservative town southwest of Budapest, surprisingly elected independent candidate Zoltan Kesz with 43.1 percent of the vote. Fidesz candidate Lajos Nemedi received 33.4 percent of the ballots cast.

"We have shown a yellow card to the government," Kesz said following his electoral triumph.

A coalition of leftist and liberal parties supported Kesz in his victory.

"The voters in Veszprem have fulfilled the expectations of the entire country and ended Fidesz's two-thirds majority," Kesz said.

Orban recently welcomed Putin to
Budapest to negotiate a long-term
energy deal with Russia

'Atmosphere of protest'

Fidesz has seen a sharp drop in popularity following a at the end of last year and protests against a proposed Internet tax.

"For the Orban government, it is a sign that there is currently a strong atmosphere of protest in the country," political scientist Attila Juhasz told Hungarian broadcaster ATV.

Orban for his part played down the results of the election and said that he did not foresee initiating future legislation that would require a super-majority in parliament.

Critics accuse Orban of authoritarian tendencies and say he has been cosying up to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Orban just last week hosted the Russian leader in order to work out a long-term contract for the delivery of Russian gas to Hungary. Thousands took to the streets to protest the visit.

"We resent Orban making a fool of Hungary by inviting Putin here to do secret deals while there is a war next door in Ukraine," protest organizer Marton Gulyas told the AFP news agency last Tuesday.

bw/cmk (AFP, dpa)

Hungarians rally against Orban, appeal to Merkel

Several thousand people have taken to the streets of Budapest, expressing dissatisfaction with Prime Minister Victor Orban's right-wing government. Some appealed directly to Angela Merkel to "save Hungary" on her visit.

Deutsche Welle, 1 Feb 2015

Protestor signs in Budapest

A crowd estimated at between 3,000 and 4,000 gathered outside Hungary's parliament on Sunday, calling for Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government to respect its Western ties. Many waved European Union flags, urging Hungary's government to remain in the EU fold and to keep its distance from Russia.

Orban's government is waning in
popularity, despite its massive
parliamentary majority

Their protests were timed to precede German Chancellor Angela Merkel's visit for talks with Orban on Monday, itself coming just two weeks before a visit from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"Frau Merkel, save Hungary!," said one sign written in German at the Budapest rally. Another, also in German, paraphrased a popular prayer: "Our Angela, deliver us from evil, we want to remain EU citizens."

Smaller, parallel rallies were held simultaneously in 11 other Hungarian towns, as well as six European cities, including London and Amsterdam.

Rights groups, including Germany's Amnesty International office and Reporters Without Borders, issued appeals to Merkel prior to her departure. Amnesty warned of "indications of a witch hunt" against NGOs operating in Hungary, while Reporters Without Borders urged Merkel to raise freedom of expression concerns with Orban.

Don't speak Hungarian? No problem! The protesters prepared for some
international attention

It's Merkel's first visit to Budapest since Orban's contentious government took office in 2010.

Important relationship, but not without friction

Ahead of the visit, a spokesman for the German foreign ministry said simply that Germany's "relationship with Hungary is important to us," saying that Berlin "wants to nurture it." However, he acknowledged that differences of opinion remained, as with any country. Asked about Russia, he said that Hungary - along with the other 27 EU members - had allowed Europe to act as one in response to the conflict in Ukraine. EU sanctions require unanimous approval in order for the bloc to implement them.

Germany is Hungary's largest trading partner and Fidesz and Merkel's Christian Democrats are a part of the same right-leaning coalition in the European Parliament.

Clear-cut landscape in parliament

Victor Orban's right-wing Fidesz party won a massive majority, 133 of 196 seats, during parliamentary elections in Hungary last year. Helped by weak opposition, Fidesz won in 2010 by a similarly comfortable margin.

After Merkel, Vladimir Putin will be
visiting the government in Budapest

Already on notice in Brussels after years of reforms to the country's legal system, domestic media and political system - with critics saying the changes don't conform with EU rules - the Orban government's closer ties with Russia have raised further questions during the conflict in Ukraine.

"We dislike the directed democracy, the kind of dictatorship Putin has built in Russia. And this is the direction in which the Orban government is going," protester Jozsef Bruck said. "European politicians look away, and they can do that because their voters don't care. We are trying to change that."

Orban has led the Fidesz party for most of its 27-year history.

msh/gsw (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)