Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orban
Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orban on Tuesday called for the resignation of European Commission Vice President, Vera Jourova over what he described as her “derogatory public statements” about democracy in Hungary.
The 57-year old Orban has continually clashed with other European Union (EU) leaders over his moves to put the judiciary, media and academics under more state control.
Critics in the EU have said that he defends the rights of nation states and ethnic majorities at the detriment of the generally accepted rules of civic behavior but Orban rejected the accusations in an interview with newsmen last week.
Orban wrote in a letter to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen saying that according to the Vice President, in Hungary a ‘sick democracy’ is being built.”
The Prime Minister’s call for the dismissal of Jourova, in charge of the Commission’s work on values and transparency and upholding the rule of law, came as Hungary is headed for a slower-than-expected recovery from the corona virus pandemic.
Orban has constantly used annoying speeches in the past to portray himself as a defender of Hungary’s national pride and sovereignty against foreign intrusion, including attacks from “Brussels bureaucrats”.