FIDESZ SUSPENSION

The European People’s Party (EPP) suspended Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s ruling Fidesz party over alleged violations of EU rule-of-law principles on Wednesday (20 March).

Fidesz will be suspended with immediate effect and until further notice following the  vote of EPP members (190 in favour, 3 against. Fidesz will no longer have any rights as a party member. Fidesz will no longer have the right to vote in any party meetings and will no longer have the right to propose candidates for posts.

The EPP Presidency and Fidesz jointly agree that Fidesz suspends its membership in the EPP until the report of the evaluation Committee is ready. The evaluation will be made by a committee chaired by former European Council head Herman Van Rompuy, with former European Parliament president Hans-Gert Poettering and former Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel. The so-called ‘three wise men’ are tasked with monitoring the implementation of three basic conditions proposed by EPP Spitzenkandidat for the May European Parliament elections, Manfred Weber. The conditions are the immediate removal of “posters and other advertising materials used to run a fake news campaign against President Jean-Claude Juncker; recognition by Fidesz that this campaign has caused considerable political damage; and clarification of pending legal issues regarding the Central European University. The Evaluation Committee will also assess the respect for the rule of law, and ‘EPP values’, as well as the implementation of the EPP emergency resolution on ‘Protecting EU Values and Safeguarding Democracy’

But the vote is also potentially bad news for the centre-right bloc, which faces European Parliament elections at the end of May. While the EPP is an alliance of about 80 parties, Fidesz has a two-thirds majority in the Hungarian parliament, making it the country's dominant political force.

The timing of the vote is also very important - ahead of the May European Parliament elections. By staying in the EPP, Mr. Viktor Orban can continue to use the party as a platform for his anti-immigrant rhetoric. If fellow anti-immigrant populists do well in May, he can quit the EPP and join them when he feels like it.