‘Hungary is more democratic than France,’ says French party leader and former MP

Certain European opinion-leaders and media outlets, reacting to the news of the re-election April 8 of Viktor Orbán and the ruling parties, could barely conceal their disappointment, according to a former member of the French National Assembly. But in some respects, “Hungary is more democratic than France,” he writes, and Orbán’s victory should be celebrated.

French media outlets like CNews spoke of the “controversial” Viktor Orbán while the 24-hour news channel BFM reported on the victory of the “far right” in Hungary, writes Christian Vanneste. Huffington Post reported with grave concern that “The Results of the Elections in Hungary Must Absolutely Alarm Us.” These accounts of the Hungarian elections reflect the predominance of a European “group think” that eschews populism and applauds immigration, according to the former MP.

Yet the election results are remarkable in and of themselves and carry an important message, writes Vanneste, who is also the president of the Rassemblement pour la France. The third consecutive re-election of the same government is practically unheard of in Europe. Forty-nine percent of Hungarian voters supported Fidesz. Voter turnout, which was lower in 2014, now reached near record levels over 70 percent.

That meant disappointment for some. Namely, the politically correct minds of cosmopolitan, globalist thought are now playing the sore-losers, according to Vanneste. They say it was just the countryside that voted for Orbán while Budapest preferred the opposition. The implication, of course, is that the educated voters (in the capital) are more reasonable but populism appeals to the simple plebs. Clearly those voters, according to this view, were responding to the irrational fear of what Dupont-Aignan dared to call “the migratory invasion,” and this victory of Orbán seriously threatens the rule of law. He has already dared to amend the constitution, by making marriage a union between a man and a woman and by speaking (what a scandal!) of Christian values in Europe. This man is dangerous!

On the contrary, writes Vanneste, “I believe, in this case, that Hungary is more democratic than France and the notion of rule of law is becoming more and more of an argument to deprive the people of their sovereignty in favor of an arrogant oligarchy.”

Read the full article in French here.