Impact of Re-election of "Parent Putin Administration" July 22, 17:07
Early April, more than a month after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
An event has occurred that has shaken Europe, which was united by "Russia's blame."
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who is said to be the "closest" to President Putin among the leaders of EU (European Union) member states, won the parliamentary election and was re-elected.
He overturned his initial expectation that his intimate relationship with Putin would be a headwind and showed his strength.
Even after the military invasion, Prime Minister Orban has made clear his "pro-Russia" stance, such as opposition to the embargo on Russian oil and natural gas.
Why do so many people support such a person?
To get closer to that depth, we decided to head to the site.
(NHK Special "Century of Confusion" coverage group)
Citizens holding the "Z" they met in the capital Budapest
We landed in Budapest, the capital of Hungary, in early June.
It was when I was having a meeting with the local coordinator who met at the airport about the content of the interview on the first day.
"There will be a rally in front of the Ukrainian embassy after this, why don't you go?" Is it
a rally in support of Ukraine ?
I didn't know the details, but I decided to go immediately to get a feel for the local atmosphere.
What we saw there was a surprising sight.
A far-right group wearing a T-shirt labeled "Z" surrounded the Ukrainian embassy and delivered a speech in support of Russia's military invasion.
Far-right group speech
"Ukraine is not the center of the world. You should behave humbly and think about what caused the war."
"Ukrainians blame us not for their side, but put us in the war. Don't get involved. Pick the seeds you sow yourself. "
Voices calling for maintaining relations with Russia
In fact, it is said that such voices appealing for "pro-Russia" are spreading not only to far-right groups but also to ordinary citizens.
Why on earth?
We decided to talk to citizens who voted for the ruling party "Fides" led by Prime Minister Orban in the April parliamentary elections.
I visited Mr. Thoth Maria, who runs a cucumber farm in a village near the border with Ukraine.
His own income is said to support five of his family.
When asked, "Why do you support Prime Minister Orban?"
, Mr. Thoth took out and showed the details of the electricity bill.
Mr. Thoth Maria
"Thanks to the Orban administration's energy policy, the price is the same as before. If the opposition had won, it might not have been possible to raise the price."
Mr. Thoth is looking forward to the unique energy policy of the Orban administration.
In fact, in February of this year, Prime Minister Orban was visiting Moscow and having a meeting with President Putin while each country was wary of Russia's movements.
At that time, the agreement was reached on a stable supply of natural gas by 2035.
Currently, many EU member states are suffering from rising prices due to a significant reduction in oil and natural gas supply from Russia, but Hungary is still receiving supply.
Mr. Thoth
"Prime Minister Orban is doing his utmost to keep the people from being affected by the war. The poor are most affected by the war. We are farming. , Fertilizers and pesticides have risen, and food prices have risen across the board.
I sympathize with the Ukrainian people, but the most important thing is the life of myself and my family. Humanitarianism alone cannot feed my family. "
“No other than Hungarian cars” Deepening division with the EU
Hungary has succeeded in curbing energy price increases by maintaining good relations with Russia.
A crack was beginning to form with the EU.
When I stopped by a gas station in the city to refuel.
At the cashier, the customer seemed to be presenting something.
Director "What were you showing?"
Customer "I have to show the car verification. To determine whether it is a Hungarian number or a foreign number. Importantly, discounts are applied to cars with Hungarian numbers. That's what has been done. "
In fact, since February 24, Hungarian gas stations have been flooded with customers from neighboring countries who want to refuel as cheaply as possible.
In response to this, the government announced that "an extra charge will be collected from vehicles with foreign numbers."
On the other hand, the EU has been in conflict, criticizing it as "contrary to EU rules that people and things can move freely."
The price of regular gasoline per liter is 480 forint (about 173 yen) for the Hungarian number, but 768 forint (about 276 yen) for the foreign number, and the difference is 100 yen or more (as of June 11).
The Slovak number guest I met on this day shared his mixed feelings.
Slovak number guest
"I know it is to protect the people of Hungary, so I have to accept it. However, since it is a member state of the EU, I hope we can cooperate a little more ..."
Prime Minister Orban pushing for power
Prime Minister Orban is gaining the support of the people with his own country first principle.
However, in the shadow, he is said to be strengthening his power.
One of them is media intervention.
We visited Dur Saborchi, the former editor-in-chief of Hungary's largest independent online media "Index".
He was not afraid of criticism of the administration and confronted Prime Minister Orban, but he was suddenly dismissed.
Mr. Dur Saborchi
"Suddenly, an outside adviser told me that I would reform the organization of the editorial department. I said that I would separate the editorial staff and outsource it. Currently, the Orban administration is strategically close to the administration. The number of media in the country is increasing. The country's freedom of press is rapidly being lost. "
According to an analysis by an NGO that investigates the actual situation of the media, about 80% of the news media are now being held down by business people close to Prime Minister Olban.
“Propaganda is unavoidable” Losing press freedom
Mr. Dur will participate in a debate on the theme of "media under the Orban administration" on this day.
We also decided to accompany you.
First of all, the topic was whether the independence of the media was maintained under the Orban administration.
Then, the editor-in-chief of a political magazine began to state his own thoughts, "propaganda is unavoidable."
Editor-in-chief of a political magazine
"Some of them say they aren't influenced by politics, but it's self-deception. I've been doing this job for many years and I know what readers want. The vast majority of people don't want to know the facts through the media, they want to see if the administration they voted for is "worthy of support."
Mr. Duru argues against this.
Mr. Dur Saborchi
"It is not the role of the media to convey only what the reader wants to read. The majority of our readers are supporters of the opposition, but we also mention the problems of the opposition. Objective Isn't it important to tell the truth? "
In the end, the discussion ended with parallel lines.
Disappointment with the EU behind its own route
Why do you challenge EU values such as tightening on the media and taking an "anti-immigrant / refugee" attitude while being an EU member state that advocates freedom and democracy?
What is behind that?
For many years, interviews with citizens who have supported Prime Minister Orban have revealed a part of it.
Grape farmer Setuku Ferenc began talking in the 1980s, when Hungary was still under socialist regime.
He believed that if he democratized and became a member of the Western world, he would enjoy the same affluence.
"I was a little kid
at the time, but I was looking forward to eavesdropping on the Western radio with my dad, and I was dreaming. Twenty to thirty years later, I believed that this country would be like Western Europe. "
Hungary, which achieved the long-sought democratization in 1989, joined the EU in 2004.
But the reality wasn't what I had imagined.
They are exposed to market competition that they have never experienced before, and their grapes are being bought and beaten cheaply.
“The market is flooded
with Western European products, such as Italian and Spanish products. Only large foreign companies have transactions, but they are looking for Hungarian products. It's not a product of Spain. I just wanted it to be treated equally, but it ended up being just a production plant. "
The reality is that even if you join the EU, the economic disparity will not be closed.
Continuing to interview the citizens, it became clear that many people, like Mr. Ferenc, turned their longing for the EU into disappointment.
I felt that many of these people are looking forward to Prime Minister Orban, who has challenged the EU's values and has set out a unique route that emphasizes "national interests."
To understand the trends of the world
The last day of coverage in Hungary.
In the center of Budapest we saw a flag.
It is said that the national emblem of the former Soviet Union was drawn on the burnt part in the center, but it is said that the citizens seeking democratization burned it as a sign of resistance.
Hungarian people who once sought freedom and equality and sought to break away from the rule of large powers such as the former Soviet Union.
Seeing them now saying, "It's more of a daily life than freedom," and appealing to "pro-Russia," I strongly want to know more about what has happened to them in the last few decades. I came to feel it.
I thought that knowing this would lead to an understanding of the background of the increasing number of countries around the world that are now disobeying Western-style democracy.
A world that has grown rapidly after the Cold War in search of peace and prosperity.
In the shadow of that, I would like to take a deeper look at what kind of life the Hungarian people have lived.
Futaki Yoshioka ,
Director of Social Program Department
Joined in 2012
After working at Kanazawa Station, Nagoya Station, International Program Department, etc., since last year, he has been
covering international affairs in Eastern Europe and Asia.
NHK Special Century of Confusion "Prologue" Putin's War "Where is the World Heading?"
Broadcast July 24 (Sun) 9 pm-
Rebroadcast July 28 (Thursday) 1:10 am-