Hungary’s 2022 Election: Issues for Congress

Hungary’s 2022 Election: Issues for Congress

link to page 2

INSIGHTi

Hungary’s 2022 Election: Issues for Congress
April 7, 2022
Hungary’s parliamentary election on April 3, 2022, resulted in a victory for the incumbent Fidesz party,
led by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Fidesz defeated a six-party alliance of opposition parties, winning
53.1% of the popular vote and 135 out of 199 seats in Hungary’s unicameral parliament. The
conservative-nationalist Fidesz has won the past four Hungarian elections, each with a two-thirds
parliamentary supermajority, and has led the government of Hungary since 2010. The Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe concluded that the 2022 election was well-managed but was
conducted on an uneven playing field due to overlap between state and party and the dominance of pro-
government media. Orbán’s renewed leadership likely signifies continued tensions between Hungary and
the rest of the European Union (EU), as well as the United States, over various issues.
Issues for Congress
A member of NATO and the EU, Hungary factors into numerous areas of congressional interest. Members
of the 117th Congress may monitor policies and developments in Hungary in relation to the allied
response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, European energy dependence on Russia, China’s influence in
Europe, and criticisms over democratic backsliding.
Hungary’s Response to Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine
Hungary’s government has condemned Russia’s attack against Ukraine and has expressed support for
Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Hungary has backed the EU sanctions adopted against
Russia since the invasion, which the 27 EU member countries must approve by consensus. Hungary also
has played a central humanitarian role in the refugee crisis, with nearly 405,000 refugees arriving from
Ukraine between February 24 and April 6, 2022. (Hungary and Ukraine share an 85-mile border; see
Figure 1.) On March 23, NATO announced it would deploy a new multinational battlegroup to Hungary
as part of the alliance’s reinforcement of its eastern flank.
At the same time, observers have strongly criticized aspects of Hungary’s response to the invasion. As
most NATO countries arranged emergency deliveries of weapons to Ukraine, Hungary ruled out
providing Ukraine with military assistance or allowing the use of its territory to transport arms into
Ukraine. Hungarian officials repeatedly have asserted that their government’s priority is to stay out of the
war. Many observers have pointed to Orbán’s close relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin to
criticize Hungary’s arguably ambivalent stance toward the war. In a March 25 speech to EU leaders,
Congressional Research Service
https://crsreports.congress.gov
IN11909
CRS INSIGHT
Prepared for Members and
Committees of Congress

Congressional Research Service
2
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky specifically addressed Hungary with the statement, “You have
to decide for yourself who you are with.”
President Zelensky’s words followed Hungary’s announcement that it would not approve any expansion
of EU sanctions against Russia to include energy exports. Hungary receives 85% of its natural gas and
two-thirds of its oil from Russia. Hungary renewed its long-term gas contract with Russia in 2021 and
awarded the contract for the expansion of its Paks nuclear power plant to Russia’s state-owned Rosatom
in 2014.
Figure 1. Map of Hungary

Source: Created by CRS. Boundaries and locations from U.S. Department of State and ESRI.
Note: The population of Hungary is 9.764 mil ion (IMF).
Criticisms over Democratic Backsliding
Fidesz’s governance of Hungary over the past 12 years has been polarizing and subject to international
criticism. Many democracy experts have accused the Orbán government of undermining the rule of law
and creating an “illiberal democracy” by dismantling institutional checks and balances, entrenching
Fidesz personnel in state institutions, and suppressing independent media and nongovernmental
organizations. Critics also accuse Fidesz of corruption and condemn the Hungarian government’s
campaigns against LGBTQI+ rights and migration. Some nongovernmental measures of democracy no
longer categorize Hungary as a democratic country. Criticisms over governance and rule-of-law issues
have caused the EU to launch procedures against Hungary under mechanisms designed to prevent
member state backsliding on the bloc’s fundamental values and the rule of law. The Biden Administration
did not invite Hungary to its December 2021 Summit for Democracy.
The Orbán government argues that this narrative is based on political bias and double standards.
Supporters of the government admire what they perceive as its defense of traditional, Christian values
versus Western European liberalism, its advocacy of national sovereignty versus purported EU overreach,
and its insistence on strong borders versus pressure to adopt looser migration policies. In winning the
2022 election, Fidesz appeared to be successful in portraying itself to its rural base as protecting
Hungary’s interests in relation to the war in Ukraine. The victory provides Fidesz with a renewed
argument that its policies have a strong mandate from Hungarian voters.
Hungary’s Ties with China
In the context of U.S. concerns about China’s investment and influence in Europe, Hungary and China
have developed significant economic ties. Hungary’s share of a rail link between Budapest and Belgrade,
Serbia, is financed mostly by a state loan from China. China views the railway as an important means for
transporting Chinese goods from the port of Piraeus, Greece, into markets in Central Europe. Hungarian

Congressional Research Service
3
officials have dismissed concerns about the security risks posed by using equipment from Chinese
telecommunications firm Huawei, indicating that Huawei is expected to have a central role in
constructing Hungary’s 5G network. Hungary hosts Huawei’s largest logistics center outside of China.
Congress and U.S.-Hungary Relations
Prior to the Biden Administration not inviting Hungary to the democracy summit, President Biden and
Prime Minister Orbán had traded criticisms over governance issues on several occasions. The Hungarian
government previously cultivated close ties with the Trump Administration and achieved one of its long-
standing diplomatic goals with Prime Minister Orbán’s 2019 visit to the White House. Earlier, the U.S.-
Hungary relationship had developed tensions during the Obama Administration after U.S. criticism of the
Orbán government’s policies.
Members of Congress have expressed mixed views of Orbán’s Hungary. Whereas some Members have
joined in criticisms of Orbán’s governance and his close relations with Russia and China, others have
defended his policies and questioned criticism of the Hungarian government.
As the EU and NATO operate largely by consensus, political developments in Hungary will continue to
impact collective transatlantic action regarding Russia and Ukraine.

Author Information

Derek E. Mix

Specialist in European Affairs

Disclaimer
This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff
to congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and under the direction of
Congress. Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other than public understanding of
information that has been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in connection with CRS’s institutional role.
CRS Reports, as a work of the United States Government, are not subject to copyright protection in the United
States. Any CRS Report may be reproduced and distributed in its entirety without permission from CRS. However,
as a CRS Report may include copyrighted images or material from a third party, you may need to obtain the
permission of the copyright holder if you wish to copy or otherwise use copyrighted material.

IN11909 · VERSION 1 · NEW