In a historic step, the European Parliament has cleared the way for a so-called rule of law procedure against Hungary. The German MPs from the CDU and CSU remained deeply divided on how they should comply with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Thus, the CSU MEPs behind Hungary's controversial head of government and thus against their own faction leader and possible leading candidate in the European elections: Manfred Weber.

In the vote in the European Parliament on Wednesday afternoon, four of the five CSU deputies voted against the initiation of a so-called judicial procedure under Article 7 of the EU Treaty. Weber was the only CSU parliamentarian to vote for the case, in the past he had always defended Orbán. The vote was preceded by heated discussions within the EPP Group, the German group of Members of the Union and the CSU Group.

Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker, in an interview with SPIEGEL and other European media, for the first time indirectly brought an exclusion of Orbán's Fidezs party from the European People's Party (EPP) into play. This party family also includes CDU and CSU.

In the end, Green MEP Judith Sargentini's report received the necessary two-thirds majority. 448 MPs voted in favor, 197 against, 48 abstained. Thus, the EU Parliament is in favor of opening a criminal case under Article 7 against Hungary. In extreme cases, the procedure may stand for the withdrawal of the voting rights of Hungary. However, before that happens, the Council, ie the body of heads of state and government, must agree. That this will happen, however, is considered extremely unlikely.

Dramatic discussions within the CSU

The vote highlights the difficulties that the German Union parties have with the right-wing politician Orbán. The front lines run as in the fierce sister dispute in the refugee policy before the summer break - CDU against CSU.

Especially within the CSU there were some dramatic debates before the vote. The CSU politician Markus Ferber demanded that one could not let prime contender Weber stand alone in the vote.

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Manfred Weber

Angelika Niebler, head of the CSU in the European Parliament, saw this differently and referred to the close relations of the CSU with Orbán's Fidezs party. Orbán had risen in the wake of the refugee crisis to the key witness of the CSU against Chancellor Angela Merkel and was courted by the Christsozialen - then also by Weber - accordingly.

Decisive was probably also a hint from CSU boss Horst Seehofer. Seehofer is a Member of Parliament long enough, he knows that he can not just give his people in Strasbourg instructions. Nevertheless, according to the SPIEGEL, Seehofer left no doubt as to which side he is on - Orbán, and not his own top candidate. A CSU spokesman did not want to confirm or deny Seehofer's intervention on request.

Commission chief Juncker even ponders about a party exclusion for Fidez

The German CDU MEPs held Weber, unlike his CSU party friends, the majority of the loyalty. The head of the German group in the EPP, CDU Bureau member Daniel Caspary, agreed to initiate proceedings, as the head of the Foreign Affairs Committee David McAllister. Also the CDU politician Elmar Brok had criticized Orbán and his policy in the EPP parliamentary group meeting heavily.

Voting behavior shows that Orbán's backing in the EPP is dwindling. Although a party committee is not on the agenda, the mood could change. "If I were a Member of the European Parliament, I would have voted in favor of the Article 7 procedure," said Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.

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Jean-Claude Juncker

Indirectly, Juncker even mused on the exclusion of Fidez from the EPP. Although this is a matter which the EPP itself must decide, Juncker said. "But I have problems with Orbán's EPP membership, and there is no intersection between him and me, not even a small one."