Fidesz' membership in the EPP is suspended, the party undergoes a rule of law investigation

HUNGARY - In Brief 21 Mar 2019 by Istvan Racz
The political convention of the European People's Party decided yesterday to suspend Fidesz' membership in the organisation until a freshly appointed three-member committee investigates Fidesz' domestic activities, to find out if those are in conformity with the EPP's basic values, especially in relation to democracy and rule-of-law issues. The decision was supported by a sweeping 190 to 3 vote, an unexpectedly strong majority after earlier news that the EPP is substantially divided on the matter. In the end, it was the word of the German government parties (CDU and CSU), which proved to be a decisive factor.Formally, the decision says that it was Fidesz which unilaterally decided to suspend exercising its membership rights in the EPP, which was a last-minute change to the original proposal, achieved by Fidesz as a matter of face-saving. In exchange, they most probably promised cooperation with the EPP's investigation committee. However, the difference is insignificant from the point of view of practical consequences: Fidesz has lost all its membership rights immediately and for an indefinitely long period, and it will only allowed to get those back if the EPP eventually finds its activities to be in conformity with the prescriptions of a basic party document which EPP members, including Fidesz, all signed on the EPP's basic values and political best practices just a few months ago.Regarding consequences, Fidesz is now unlikely to leave the EPP for the time being, even though it has sent out a clear message domestically that it was likely to do so in case its rights are curbed or limited in any material degree by the EPP management. It looks like Mr. Orbán does not wan...

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