Hungarian anti-Roma party will have three MEPs

AP reports the Hungarian State Elections Commission announced the fascist anti-Roma Movement for Better Hungary (Jobbik) has won three seats at the EP. The most seats were won by the opposition Young Democrats’ Union – Hungarian Civic Union (Fidesz-MPP), which received 14 seats.

The EP elections confirmed the decline in popularity of the governing socialists (MSZP), who will have only four seats in the EP. The last of the 22 seats reserved for Hungarian MEPs goes to the Hungarian Democratic Forum (MDF).

According to Novinky.cz, experts warn that the ultra-right Jobbik party is appealing primarily to young people during the country’s difficult economic situation. The EP elections have probably become a watershed in the recent history of Hungary and the extreme right has won a significant amount of votes. In the 2006 parliamentary elections, Jobbik won 1 % of the vote and was on the fringe of political interest.

The rise of Jobbik began just after the 2006 elections, when then-PM Ferenc Gyurcsány admitted he had lied to voters about the state of the Hungarian economy. Massive street demonstrations followed during which supporters of the opposition demanded his immediate resignation. The demonstrations turned into severe clashes, with police using tear gas, water cannon and rubber bullets. Members of Jobbik actively participated in the anti-government actions, according to Novinky.cz.

Jobbik then founded the paramilitary Hungarian Guard to “protect Hungarian interests”. Several thousand people have already become members. The Guard holds marches in municipalities with high concentrations of Roma and actively participated in the blockade of the Hungarian-Slovak border after last year’s intervention by Slovak police against DAC Dunajská Streda fans.

The extreme right is playing to the poor economic situation in the country, rising unemployment, and the harsh restrictive measures announced by the government. Political scientists warn that in such a situation Jobbik appeals to young people much more successfully than classic political parties do. “For the young generation, national radicalism is a matter of course today. The classic parties do not appeal to young Hungarians and it has become fashionable for young people to support Jobbik,” political scientist Viktor Kiss warns, according to the server Novinky.cz.