Hungary’s PM Orban gets sweeping powers to tackle coronavirus

Nationalist gov’t says emergency powers necessary in crisis but critics fear open-ended rules are vulnerable to abuse. Hungary’s government has passed a law that grants nationalist prime minister Viktor Orban special powers to take extraordinary measures to tackle the coronavirus crisis, sparking concerns that it could lead to an “abuse of power”. The core democratic thing has been broken.” Mate Szabo, a director at the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union, a Budapest based human rights NGO, added: “The government will have an uncontrolled possibility to rule the country, which means the abuse of power may be much easier.” Orban’s spokesperson Zoltan Kovacs, meanwhile, said the law was “quite reasonable” and “lives are at stake” in a Twitter post. Ervin Guth, an editor at Szabad Pecs, one of Hungary’s few independent outlets, feared that journalists could be punished for writing something true about the epidemic but which the government sees as “causing panic and or setting back their efforts.” Over the past week, the Orban government, aided by pro-government media, has accused independent media outlets of spreading “fake news” for questioning its preparation and handling of the crisis, such as whether doctors and nurses have proper protective gear, according to the International Press Institute. This is the climate where we have to work, and we fear that this is getting worse.” Fears that the government may misuse the new law is “legitimate and can be grounded” said Szabo, claiming that the governing party has used its power in the past for “it’s own political interests”.