In his regular Sunday open letter, Istvan Augelli examines the “political school year” that begins in a week. He writes:
“And so the political season begins, and not only will the composition of the new European Commission keep decision-makers excited, but MEPs will certainly be preoccupied with current affairs today, as well as the pressure of political decisions and the constant choice of values.”
Now the monkey will really jump into the water, now it will become clear who represents what, how strong and united the new political formations created in the European Parliament are, where there are cracks, internal debates and discussions.
An important element of the image of Viktor Orbán and Fidesz – which they have consciously built themselves – is that they always appear strong and united, where there are no internal contradictions, where no one questions the leader's direction, good intentions or abilities. And this is undoubtedly a kind of virtue in the face of opposition formations that constantly distort, pull each other back and fight each other. Even if it is not true.
According to Ogielj, the Orbans are trying to present the same image of themselves on the European stage: “However, the formation called “Patriots for Europe”, which brings together far-right adventurers, is also cracking and facing serious internal conflicts, which the Fidesz prime minister will not be able to control.”
Meanwhile, Augelli believes that the formation of the Patriots for Europe movement is actually far from being as strong as it seems. According to the leader of the Iselli group – although Viktor Orbán appears to be the decisive leader of the faction – the real power of the formation comes from the French far-right coalition led by Marine Le Pen. Augelli believes that this group, despite maintaining good relations with the Hungarian government led by Fidesz, is prone to independence and internal tensions, which could easily lead to conflicts.
The former representative notes that one of the first decisions taken by the newly created European Parliament was to adopt a clear and firm resolution on support for Ukraine. The document singled out Viktor Orbán by name, who “blatantly violated the fundamental treaties of the European Union and the common foreign policy” when he traveled to Russia on a “peace mission” shortly after the start of the Hungarian presidency of the Council of the EU.
According to Ojeli, the decision also divided the Nationalists faction:
- The majority of the group members said no to the document,
- Supported by two
- Fifteen abstained from voting.
According to Ogiel, the Orbans may have misjudged how fragile the base they are trying to build on the European far right is.
“Russian friendship with unjustified content and depth will certainly lead to further clashes within the formation, which will clearly destroy the doctrine of Orban and Fidesz. We are looking forward to an exciting political autumn.”
