Does democracy suffer in Corona times? Developments in Poland and Hungary allow this conclusion. Heiko Maas also criticizes the current situation.
- Does democracy suffer from the corona crisis? * There is talk of an "attack" on the same.
- This is also the conclusion reached by Heiko Maas, who criticizes "drastic restrictions on human rights".
- If you look at Poland or Hungary, the restrictions are also clear within the EU.
- Here you will find the basic facts about the corona virus * and the corona news from Germany . We also offer you the current number of cases in Germany * on a map . All information is also available on our Facebook page Corona News .
Berlin - crisis situations are always times of the executive . Leading politicians come into focus, while it is often difficult for the opposition to be heard - especially if the executive government fiercely blocks these opposing votes, does not tolerate them, and silences critics with new laws. Such political conditions can currently be observed in several countries - including within the EU . Democracy therefore suffers from the corona crisis.
Poland and Hungary are repeatedly cited as negative European examples . A look at the political situation there shows that the two countries quite rightly bear this title.
Coronavirus: Poland's immediately required presidential election - Hungary's controversial special rights
The Polish government recently introduced a law without further ado , according to which the upcoming presidential election due to the coronavirus pandemic should be pushed through as a pure postal vote. Since the poll values of the Polish President Andrzej Duda have recently dropped, the ruler probably wanted the election to go ahead quickly. Because of the corona-related ban on assembly , the opposition was unable to campaign. The attempt ultimately failed, and the election will only take place in June.
The right-wing Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban had been granted extensive and initially unlimited special powers by the Parliament in Budapest in the Corona crisis. On Friday afternoon (May 15), the 56-year-old announced that she would hand it in at the end of May. A crucial content is currently that Orban can rule indefinitely by decree in an emergency. In addition, false reports should also be tackled. Critics only see it as an alibi to muzzle political opponents.
Andrzej Duda (r.) And Viktor Orban (m.) Also use the corona crisis to bring controversial special regulations to the table. Autocratic tendencies have recently increased in both countries.
© picture alliance / dpa / Radek Pietruszka
Corona crisis within the EU: FDP politicians make clear - "attack on European democracy"
Konstantin Kuhle , spokesman for the FDP parliamentary group in the German Bundestag, reported on Wednesday (May 13) a case from Hungary after which a member of the liberal opposition party Momentum was arrested for “criticizing a government health measure.” This has little to do with the spread of fake news, as Kuhle explains, but rather with an "attack on European democracy."
In the further course of his statement, Kuhle called for more energetic action on the part of the EU , because "those who trample on European values must not go home with European funds."
Corona crisis in the EU: “Reporters Without Borders” fears that the situation for journalists will deteriorate
In the meantime, the organization "Reporters Without Borders" not only noticed cuts for politicians in the Corona crisis , but also for journalists . The corona virus pandemic is being used as an opportunity to silence independent voices, CEO Christian Mihr recently told radio station B5 recently. Poland ranks 63rd in the press freedom ranking , Hungary only 89th - in a European comparison, only Ukraine (96th), Bulgaria (111), Russia (149) and Turkey (154) have worse rankings. By the way, last place was taken by North Korea , the leader is Norway , and Germany climbed two places compared to last year to eleventh.
Despite the international criticism of the special rights in Poland and Hungary, the EU Commission did not want to intervene for the time being. In the meantime, she has changed her perspective. It was time to reduce the restriction on fundamental rights. Particular attention will be paid to this, especially in the case of Hungary , said Vice President Vera Jourova on Thursday (May 14) in the European Parliament.
Heiko Maas: Democracy suffers from the Corona crisis :: "Drastic restrictions on human rights"
Germany's Foreign Minister Heiko Maas also laments drastic restrictions on human rights under the guise of the Corona crisis: "We are also very concerned about how the crisis will promote authoritarianism," said the SPD politician on Friday in the Bundestag. In many cases, this has "dramatic consequences". He cited increasing reprisals against journalists in Russia, Venezuela, Iran, Turkey and China as examples, but also tied the bow back to the EU, because “even in the middle of Europe we are experiencing how emergency measures are used to promote the rule of law to prune. "
* merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editorial network
