The results confirmed the predictions of Fidesz victory, saw a weakening of the still formidable extreme right and led to a restructuring of the Hungarian left. Unfortunately, no liberal MEPs were elected.
Never before have had Lithuanians reelected their President for the second term. And even though, some suspense over the outcome remained until the first polls released their preliminary results, President Dalia Grybauskaite proved that she still has support of the majority of Lithuanians.
The EP election 2014 can be characterized mainly by a very low attendance of voters in the Czech Republic. Only 18.2 % of voters threw their ballots into boxes in deserted polling stations, in comparison with the 28.22% attendance of voters in 2009. This aspect has shaped the results very much.
The EP parliamentary elections in Bulgaria took place in the midst of what can only be called a crisis of public representation.
16 political groups ran for the European Parliament. Every step of the campaigns it was clear that these elections are primarily a rehearsal for the forthcoming parliamentary elections this summer.
Civic Platform and Law & Justice confirmed their domination on Polish political scene during European Parliament election on 25th of May. Donald Tusk’s party have received 32,13% and Jaroslaw Kaczynski’s party 31,78% of voters support according to final result of elections.
Hungary’s Prime Minister Victor Orbán won his second consecutive term in a landside election last month. The governing Fidesz party managed to retain its absolute majority as the result of arguable new election laws and a highly inept opposition. Even more disturbingly Hungary’s infamous far-right Jobbik emerged as the second biggest party in the country.
The joint event of the Hungarian Free Market Foundation and Political Capital was searching for answers to the ever present questions such as: what is the program of the far-right, how certain far right groups in Europe differ, should the media give these parties a voice, what effective counter strategies exist and is it possible that these parties form a partnership in the EU parliament.
Many people, both in the West and in the former socialist countries, display an attitude which I call—somewhat pointedly—“a mentality of Soviet official”. It is a generalized belief: “whatever problem there exists, only the state can solve it.” The state is perceived as a deity, i.e. an omniscient and benevolent being with unlimited resources.
Since the transition, a number of national and international contrastive studies have noted a growing anti-capitalist sentiment in the Hungarian society.
