BRATISLAVA, January 7, (WEBNOVINY) – The opposition SMER-SD Chairman Robert Fico appeals on the Slovak government to denounce undemocratic tendencies in Hungary, similarly to other European representatives. “When the government remains silent, Mrs. Iveta Radicova and Mr. Mikulas Dzurinda (both SDKU-DS) okay what cannot be okayed,” said the leader of Slovakia’s strongest opposition party. He does not like the fact that the Slovak government has not yet moved to slam any of the actions of Hungary, which Fico says collide with the democratic principles.
“Are they afraid of him? Do they serve him? Do they need the support of Slovak Hungarian political parties at every cost?” Fico asked about the reasons, why the Slovak political elite failed to condemn steps of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. He thinks that the essential motive is the SDKU-DS’s anti-European attitude and the efforts of the government to create a ”false picture of better bilateral relations.”
Robert Fico says that his party condemns the events in Hungary, which it considers dismantling the basic democratic principles. “We have the right to this, we also have political partners over there, we see, what is happening to the opposition,” said Fico. He minds most of all the new media law, the removal of a portion of the Supreme Court’s competencies and cancellation of three branches of government, which he says is planned. “This is a fight for democracy. Miss Radicova and Mr. Dzurinda are on the side of Viktor Orban today,” stated Fico.
The European Commission confirmed this Tuesday that it would not hesitate to punish Hungary if its new media freedom law, valid since last Saturday, infringes the EU regulation on freedom of press. The Hungarian government however stated they won’t retreat regarding the law. “Before criticizing [the law], we should wait, how it will work. We are sure that it will absolutely fulfill its objective,” Zoltan Kovacs, the State Secretary for Communication told Hungarian public service radio.
The controversial Hungarian media law came into force on January 1. It established the National Media and Telecommunication Authority, staffed mostly by the members of Orban’s Fidesz party, controlling all print, electronic and Internet media. The authority may punish “unbalanced news coverage”, which the law does not define, by a fine up to 200 million forints (727,000 euros), which might lead to liquidation of some media. The authority can also force reporters to disclose the resources of their information in cases concerning national security.
SITA