Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s fledgling political movement on Saturday attracted enough parties to achieve recognition from the European Parliament in a boost for his latest ploy to shift Brussels rightward.
The nationalist leader announced June 30 his intention to form a new EU parliamentary group called “Patriots for Europe,” vowing “a new era” that “will change European politics.”
He made the announcement with the Austrian far-right Freedom Party and the centrist Action of Dissatisfied Citizens (ANO) of former Czech prime minister Andrej Babis in Strasbourg. Since then, five more parties have said they would join. Those include the Party for Freedom led by Dutch anti-Islam firebrand Geert Wilders, Portugal’s far-right Chega party and Spain’s Vox party.
Photo: EPA-EFE / Alexey Maishev / Sputnik / Kremlin Pool
With the Danish People’s Party and the Flemish nationalist pro-independence Vlaams Belang on Saturday announcing that they would join, Patriots for Europe fulfilled the EU parliament’s threshold for formal recognition — 23 lawmakers from seven countries.
Orban said the parties would meet in Brussels today.
By that time, Orban would know if France’s National Rally has chosen to join forces with him after the second round of the country’s legislative elections yesterday.
If the National Rally decides to join Patriots for Europe, it would be the biggest political force within the group, with 30 lawmakers.
Italy’s League party, led by Matteo Salvini, has also expressed an interest in the new movement, but has not confirmed its participation.
Orban — whose country took over the EU’s rotating presidency this month — has long railed against the “Brussels elites.”
His Fidesz party has been non-aligned in the EU Parliament since it left the right-wing European People’s Party in 2021 amid accusations of Hungary’s democratic backsliding.
With the formation of Patriots for Europe, Orban is bidding to become the dominant hard-right force in the EU Parliament.
As well as campaigning for conservative family values, the group would push back against European support for Ukraine against Russia’s invasion and immigration.
Meanwhile, Orban on Saturday drew a fresh rebuke from EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell after he attended a meeting of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) in Azerbaijan.
Brussels, EU allies, the US and Kyiv had already slammed Orban, for holding talks on the Ukraine war with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Friday.
“Hungary has not received any mandate from the EU Council to advance the relations with the Organisation of Turkic States,” Borrell said in a statement.
The EU also rejected OTS attempts to legitimize the unrecognised Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus by admitting it as an observer, Borrell said.
The Philippine Department of Justice yesterday labeled Vice President Sara Duterte the “mastermind” of a plot to assassinate the nation’s president, giving her five days to respond to a subpoena. Duterte is being asked to explain herself in the wake of a blistering weekend press conference where she said she had instructed that Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr be killed should an alleged plot to kill her succeed. “The government is taking action to protect our duly elected president,” Philippine Undersecretary of Justice Jesse Andres said at yesterday’s press briefing. “The premeditated plot to assassinate the president as declared by the self-confessed mastermind
Texas’ education board on Friday voted to allow Bible-infused teachings in elementary schools, joining other Republican-led US states that pushed this year to give religion a larger presence in public classrooms. The curriculum adopted by the Texas State Board of Education, which is controlled by elected Republicans, is optional for schools to adopt, but they would receive additional funding if they do so. The materials could appear in classrooms as early as next school year. Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott has voiced support for the lesson plans, which were provided by the state’s education agency that oversees the more than
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