Although pessimists were certain that enthusiasm for street demonstrations could not be maintained, although because of the holidays there was a hiatus of almost two weeks between demonstrations in the capital, and although the weather was inclement, once again a large crowd gathered to express its opposition to the Orbán regime. The crowd was enthusiastic, ready to continue the fight.
Sizable crowds have also gathered in other cities in the last few days. In Szeged 2,000 people attended a rally on January 3; in Pécs, 1,500 on January 4. Before we belittle these numbers, we ought to keep in mind that the populations of Szeged and Pécs are approximately 10% that of the capital. So these numbers are impressive. Perhaps even more impressive was a demonstration in Tapolca (population 16,000) where 400 people showed up. More than 500 people gathered in Szolnok, Hódmezővásárhely, and Békéscsaba. These last three towns are in an area where Fidesz has held sway for the last decade, or even longer.
Thus, the dissatisfaction that was well hidden earlier is now visible to all. Even commentators who in the past have said that there was no hope of removing Viktor Orbán’s regime in the foreseeable future sounded a great deal more optimistic today.
At the Budapest demonstration there were innumerable speeches, with heads of the trade unions leading the way. László Kordás, president of Magyar Szakszervezetek Szövetsége (MASZSZ), reiterated the demands typical of trade unions, including the abrogation of the “slave law,” higher wages, modification of the present “strike law,” and more flexible retirement. What made the trade unions’ demands weighty was their ultimatum to the Orbán government. They gave the government five days to set up a team to negotiate with the trade union leaders. If the government does not comply, a nationwide warning strike will take place on January 19. “We will shutter work places, roads, and bridges. The country will be crippled, for which Viktor Orbán alone will be responsible.” It might not be to the liking of the Orbán government, but they will have to respond in one way or another to the trade unions’ demands.
The presence of the trade unions at the demonstrations lends a certain gravitas to these acts of opposition, but it has been obvious from the beginning that the demonstrations are about far more than a modification of the labor law. They are about Viktor Orbán and Fidesz. The crowd applauded the speakers of the trade unions, but the demonstration really perked up when later speakers talked about the removal of the present political system and the restoration of democracy and the republic.
I was very impressed by a joint speech given by Bálint Misetics of the Milestone Institute and Tessza Udvarhelyi of Város Mindenkiért (City for Everybody). They had the guts to speak out against racism and xenophobia, which are “the mainstays of the Orbán regime.” They finished with “Hail to civil disobedience, hail to the strike, hail to the republic!”
Finally it was the politicians’ turn. Csaba Molnár of DK made it crystal clear that the end goal is a struggle against the whole regime. Some of the other parties, I think here specifically of LMP and to some extent Jobbik, are less committed to the cause. Antal Csárdi (LMP), for example, wouldn’t go beyond a call to repeal the modifications of the labor law and an endorsement of certain other demands put forth by the trade unions. Moreover, yesterday I heard him say that LMP’s cooperation with the other parties is not all-embracing. Cooperation is going to be selective. Péter Jakab (Jobbik) delivered a rousing speech in which he called Viktor Orbán a horse trader who conducts his dirty business at the expense of his country, but he carefully avoided of any criticism of the regime itself.
Bertalan Tóth (MSZP) made perhaps the most significant announcement, suggesting that now that they have managed to create unity among political parties in parliament and unity among people on the street it is time “to create unity at the European Parliament and the municipal elections. One against one!” That suggestion has definite appeal, and it most likely will materialize at the October municipal elections. In the last few days we have heard a lot about these negotiations from party leaders of all colors.
Admittedly, an EP common party list of Jobbik, MSZP, DK, Momentum, LMP, and Párbeszéd is hard to imagine at the moment, even though such a common list would make a lot of sense. In Hungary, which has one of the highest electoral thresholds in the European Union (5%), an incredible number of votes would be lost if all the middle-sized and truly small opposition parties were to run separately at the EP elections. I understand that parties consider the EP elections an important litmus test because the election results would demonstrate the strength of their party. But, if there is no common list, the unity that has been more or less achieved thus far would evaporate as soon as campaigning for the EP elections begins. The electorate’s trust in the parties’ credibility would receive a mortal blow. I realize that it would be exceedingly hard to come up with a common party list, but I think they ought to try.
If the present mood prevails for a few more months, a united opposition could make quite a dent in Fidesz and KDNP’s present strength of 12 members out of Hungary’s 21. But the road will be long and hard, and there are warning signs that certain very small parties, like LMP and the Two-Tailed Dog party, will not cooperate.
I know that in certain circles the Two-Tailed Dog party is very popular, mostly because of its members’ wicked sense of humor. But Gergely Kovács is a dangerous fellow when it comes to sensible politics. In a recent interview he said that he will not cooperate with any of the existing parties because he believes that as long as they exist Fidesz will remain in power. Of course, this is senseless demagoguery. He also expressed his conviction that although these demonstrations may weaken Fidesz and the Orbán government, they will not be successful in the long run. It’s no wonder that Hírklikk.hu concluded that Kovács with this attitude is only helping the present regime. According to some polls, this “joke party” has a sizable following, and it may well run at the next EP election, taking away votes from the bona fide opposition parties. This party is no longer a joke; it can do serious harm.