Brussels, 08/04/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 7 April, the OSCE (Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe) raised questions over the outcome of the Hungarian general elections, which returned Prime Minister Viktor Orban to his office by a comfortable majority.
Although the elections were correctly organised and gave the voters a varied choice, there are certain factors leading to suspicions of bias in favour of Orban's party, states the OSCE. It argues that Orban's party benefited from several changes to the legal framework enshrined by the government (such as a reduction of the number of seats in parliament), restrictive campaign rules in the media, “biased” media coverage (state funds allocated to certain publications) and a “blurring of the separation” between the ruling political party and the state, the international observers state in a press release.
The observers report that, in general, the process was “transparently and efficiently administered”. However, certain parts of the population, particularly the Roma, were largely invisible, the OSCE noted.
Additionally, the number of amendments and new laws brought in by the Orban government, 800 in total, is ultimately “unprecedented”, the organisation notes. “Some of the changes were positive, but others undermined checks and balances and there was little or no public consultation”. All of this casts doubt over the reliability of the Hungarian electoral process, states the OSCE. (SP)