Covid-19'un Otoriterliğe Yöneliş Üzerindeki Etkisi: Macaristan Örneği

Year 2023, Volume: 11 Issue: 2, 328 - 345, 26.09.2023

Muge Aknur

https://doi.org/10.14782/marmarasbd.1292164

Abstract

Freedom House 2023 Raporu’nun da belirttiği gibi, dünyada son 17 yılda demokrasiden otoriterliğe
doğru bir kayış gerçekleşmiştir. Otoriterliğe yönelik bu küresel eğilim 2019 yılının sonlarına doğru Çin’in Wuhan kentinde ortaya çıkan koronavirüs salgının (COVID-19) patlak vermesiyle hızlanmıştır.
Milyonlarca insanın ölümüne neden olan bu virüsle mücadelede hükümetler, iş yerlerinin kapatılması,
sokağa çıkma yasakları ve zorunlu aşılar da dahil olmak üzere bir dizi ciddi tedbiri uygulamaya
koymuştur. Pandemi öncesinde de otoriter eğilimleri olan popülist siyasetçiler, virüsle mücadele
kisvesi altında özgür ve adil seçimler, kuvvetler ayrılığı, siyasi özgürlükler ve medeni haklar gibi önemli
demokratik kavramları göz ardı etmişlerdir. Bu ilkelerin popülist liderler tarafından ihlali dünyada
demokrasinin gerilemesini hızlandırmıştır. Bu bağlamda, her siyasi krizde kendi gücünü arttırmak için
demokratik olmayan politikalar izleyen Macaristan Başbakanı Viktor Orban, koronavirüs salgını ile
savaşmak amacıyla, Mart 2020’de Macar parlamentosunu kendisine olağanüstü acil durum yetkileri
vermeye zorlamıştır. Orban, koronovirüs önlemlerini bahane edip, Macaristan’da tek adam yönetimi
kurarak, parlamentoyu baypas etmiştir. Orban hükümeti, medya, sivil toplum ve muhalefette kendi
politikalarını eleştirenleri bastırmak için yasal bir çerçeve geliştirmiştir. Hükümet ayrıca anayasa
değişiklikleri yoluyla yargı bağımsızlığı, azınlık hakları, ifade özgürlüğü ve toplanma özgürlüğünü ihlal
eden kısıtlamalar getirmiştir. Bir başka ifadeyle, Orban, koronavirüs salgınını Macaristan’ın demokratik
yapılarını ve ilkelerini daha da zayıflatmak için kullanmıştır. İnsan hakları örgütleri ve Avrupa Birliği,
Macaristan’ın Orban yönetimi altında demokrasiyi yavaş yavaş zayıflatmasını eleştirmiştir. Bu makale,
Wolfgang Merkel’in (2004) demokrasinin pekişmesi için gerekli gördüğü dört koşul, seçimler, medeni
haklar, siyasi özgürlükler ve kuvvetler ayrılığı bağlamında, COVID-19 salgınının Macaristan’da
Başbakan Viktor Orban yönetiminde demokratik gerilemenin hızlanması üzerindeki etkisini analiz
etmeyi amaçlamaktadır.

Keywords

COVID-19, Macaristan’da demokrasinin gerilemesi, Viktor Orban

The Impact of Covid-19 on the Move towards Authoritarianism: The Case of Hungary

Abstract

As the Freedom House Report 2023 shows, there has been a global trend from democracy to
authoritarianism over the past 17 years. This gained further momentum in late 2019 with the outbreak
of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in Wuhan, China. In the fight against this virus, which has
resulted in the deaths of millions of people, governments implemented several significant measures,
including closures, curfews, and mandatory vaccinations. Under the pretense of combatting the virus,
populist politicians, who already had authoritarian inclinations before the pandemic, disregarded
important democratic principles, such as free and fair elections, separation of powers, political liberties,
and civil rights. The violations of these principles by populist leaders accelerated global democratic
backsliding. In this context, in March 2020, in response to the coronavirus pandemic, Hungary’s Prime
Minister Viktor Orban, who has used every political crisis to find excuses to pursue undemocratic
policies and strengthen his hold on power, pushed the Hungarian parliament to grant him extraordinary
emergency powers. He used coronavirus precautions to establish one-man rule in Hungary by
bypassing parliament. His government devised a legislative framework to suppress critics of its policies
in the media, civil society, and the opposition. Orban also implemented restrictions violating judicial
independence, minority rights, freedom of expression, and freedom of assembly through constitutional
amendments. In other words, Orban utilized the coronavirus outbreak to further weaken Hungary’s
democratic structures and principles. Human rights organizations and the European Union have
criticized Hungary’s slow erosion of democracy under Orban’s administration. This article analyzes
the impact of COVID-19 on the acceleration of democratic backsliding in Hungary, under the rule of
Prime Minister Viktor Orban, in terms of Wolfgang Merkel’s (2004) four conditions for democratic
consolidation: electoral regimes, civil rights, political freedoms, and separation of powers.

Keywords

COVID-19, democratic backsliding in Hungary, Viktor Orban

References

• A Facade of Legality: COVID-19 and the Exploitation of Emergency Powers in Hungary. (2022, February). International Commission of Jurists. Retrieved from https://www.icj.org/wp-content/ uploads/2022/02/Hungary-A-Facade-of-Legality-legal-briefing-2022-ENG.pdf
• Borbath, E. (2021, April 15). How does the Coronavirus Strengthen Authoritarianism in Hungary? Berlin Social Science Center, WZB. Retrieved from https://wzb.eu/en/research/corona-und-die-folgen/ how-does-the-corona-virus-strengthen-authoritarianism-in-hungary
• Brem, H. (2022, May, 25). Hungarian PM declares state of emergency, prompts concerns of authoritarianism from rights groups. Jurist, Legal News & Commentary. Retrieved from https://www.jurist.org/ news/2022/ 05/hungary-pm-declares-state-of-emergency-prompts-concerns-of-authoritariansimfrom-rights-groups/
• Brennan, D. (2020, March 6). Victor Orban’s Anti-Roma Campaign in Hungary Is Being Legitimized by Trump and Western Leaders, Activists Warns. Newsweek. Retrieved from https://www.newsweek. com/viktor-orban-anti-roma-campaign-hungary-legitimized-donald-trump-western-leadersactivist-1490920
• Budapest Protests against China’s Fudan University Campus. (2021, June 5). BBC. Retrieved from https:// www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-57372653
• Car honking protests cancelled due to astronomical fines handed out by Budapest Police. (2020, May 5). Atlatszo. Retrieved from 25.05.2020. https://english.atlatszo.hu/2020/05/25/car-honking-protestscancelled-due-to-astronomical-fines-handed-out-by-budapest-police/
• Cooper, J. (2020, July 13). To go ahead with the vote or to postpone? Elections in Africa in the time of COVID-19. UN Africa Renewal. Retrieved from https://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/july- 2020/vote-or-postpone-elections-africa-time-covid-19
• Corruption Perceptions Index. Transparency International 2020. Retrieved from https://www.transparency. org/en/ cpi/2020
• Çiçekdağ, M. A. (2022, June 12). Viktor Orban: Macaristan’ın Tek Adamı. T24. Retrieved from https://t24. com.tr/yazarlar/mehmet-ali-cicekdag/viktor-orban-macaristan-in-tek-adami,35562
• Davies, J. (2020, 16 December). Hungary writes ‘the mother is a woman, the father is a man’ into its constitution as it bans gay couples from adopting children. Daily Mail. Retrieved from https://www.dailymail. co.uk/news/article-9059211/Hungary-writes-mother-woman-father-man-constitution.html
• Democracy Digest: Hungary’s ‘Jail Business’ Gambit. (2020, March 6). Balkan Insight. Retrieved from https://balkaninsight.com/2020/03/06/democracy-digest-hungarys-jail-business-gambit/
• Elections in Hungary. (2022, 3 April). Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. Retrieved from https://www.osce.org/odihr/elections/hungary
• European Alliance of Academies. (2021, February, 15). Retrieved from https://allianceofacademies.eu/news/ hungary-appropriation-of-universities/
• Europe’s Failure to protect liberty in Hungary. (2019, December 29). The Atlantic. Retrieved from https:// www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2019/12/eu-hungary-press-freedom/603985/
• Fidesz, Political Party, Hungary. (2023, 23 March). Britannica. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/ topic/Fidesz
• Foreign Minister Caught Vacationing on Pro-Govt Businessman’s Yacht While Posting Office Photos. (2020, August 18). Hungary Today. Retrieved from https://hungarytoday.hu/szijjarto-foreign-ministervacation-yacht/
• Freedom in the World 2023. (2023). Freedom House. Retrieved from https://freedomhouse.org/sites/default/ files/2023-03/FIW_World_2023_DigtalPDF.pdf
• Gall, L. (2022, June 8). Hungary’s New ‘State of Danger’. Human Rights Watch. Retrieved from https://www. hrw.org/news/2022/06/08/hungarys-new-state-danger
• Gornl, S. A. (2021, December 15). Protecting Hungary from Itself. The Limitations of Forcing Compliance. Idea. Retrieved from https://www.idea.int/blog/protecting-hungary-itself-limitations-forcingcompliance
• Gorondi, P. (2022, September 6). Hungary’s Theater & film college protests a loss of autonomy. The Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/hungarystheater-and-film-college-protests-a-loss-of-autonomy/2020/09/06/16b11204-f059-11ea-8025- 5d3489768ac8_story.html
• Hegedus, D. (2020, 26 March). Orban uses Coronavirus to put Hungary’s Democracy in a State of Danger. German Marshall Fund. Retrieved from https://www.gmfus.org/news/orban-uses-coronavirus-puthungarys-democracy-state-danger
• Helman, C. (2022, February 18). Hungarian Democratic Backsliding during COVID-19. Democratic Erosion. Retrieved from https://www.democratic-erosion.com/2022/02/18/hungarian-democraticbacksliding-during-covid-19/
• Hoffman, I. (2021). The Challenges of COVID-19 Pandemic in Large Hungarian Municipalities –A Short Overview of the Legal Background. In I. Hoffman, K. F. Rozsnyani & M. Nagy (Eds.), Urbanisation
• and Local Government(s) (pp. 151-163). Maribor: Lex Localis. Hungary has failed to fulfil its obligations under EU law in the area of procedures for granting international protection and returning illegally staying third-country. (2020, 17 December). Court of Justice of the European Union. Press Release No 161/20. Luxembourg. Retrieved from https://curia.europa.eu/ jcms/upload/docs/application/pdf/2020-12/cp200161en.pdf
• Hungary’s Index Journalists walk out over sacking. (2020, 24 July), BBC, Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/ news/world-europe-53531948
• Hungarian journalists say state conceals impact of world’s deadliest COVID-19 outbreak. (2021, March 21). Reuters. Retrieved from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-hungary-mediaidUSKBN2BN0XI
• Hungary: Ruling Party’s Lock On Power Threatens EU. (2022, April 4). Human Rights Watch. Retrieved from https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/04/05/hungary-ruling-partys-lock-power-threatens-eu
• Hungary far-right protest stokes fears of anti-Roma violence. (2019, May 21). FRANCE 24. Retrieved from https://www.france24.com/en/20190521-hungary-far-right-protest-stokes-fears-anti-romaviolence
• Hungary under Fidesz: A Retreat from Democracy. (2011, January 25). Wilson Center. 25.01.2011. Retrieved from https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/hungary-under-fidesz-retreat-democracy
• Huntington, S. (1991). The Third Wave, Democratization in the late Twentieth Century. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press.
• Jovanovic, Z. (2020, February 28). Orban’s Next Move: Overpowering the Courts. Politico. Retrieved from https://www.politico.eu/ article/orbans-next-move-overpowering-the-courts-roma-hungary/
• Karl T. L. & Schmitter P. (1991). What Democracy Is … And Is Not?. Journal of Democracy, 2(3), 71-88. DOI:10.1353/jod.1991.0033
• Kaszaz, F. (2022, July 27). Ventilator Purchases: Potential Police Investigation in Hungary after Scandal in Slovenia. Hungary Today. Retrieved from https://hungarytoday.hu/ventilator-purchases-hungaryinvestigation/
• Kovacs, K. (2021, March 11). Hungary and the Pandemic: A Pretext for Expanding Power. Verfassungsblog. Retrieved from https://verfassungsblog.de/hungary-and-the-pandemic-a-pretext-for-expandingpower/
• Kreko, P. (2020, April 28). Orban’ın Otoriter Salgın Kapkacı. Heinrich Böll Stiftung Derneği Türkiye Temsilciği. Retrieved from https://tr.boell.org/tr/2020/04/28/orbanin-otoriter-salgin-kapkaci
• Levitsky, S. & Way, L. (2010). Competitive Authoritarianism: Hybrid Regimes After the Cold War. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Orban Hükümeti’nden muhalefete yeni seçim yasasıyla ittifak engeli. (2020, November 24). Euronews. Retrieved from https://tr.euronews.com/2020/11/24/orban-hukumeti-nden-muhalefete-yenisecim-yasas-yla-ittifak-engeli
• Przeworski, A. (1991). Democracy and the Market, Political and Economic Reforms in Eastern Europe and Latin America. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Merkel, W. (2004). “Embedded and Defective Democracies,” Democratization, 11(5), 33-58. DOI:10.1080/ 135.103.4041233.130.4598
• Repucci, S. & Slipowitz, A. (2020). The Impact of COVID-19 on the Global Struggle for Freedom. Freedom House 2020 Report. Retrieved from https://freedomhouse.org/report/special-report/2020/ democracy-under-lockdown
• Repucci, S. & Slipowitz A. (2022). “The Global Expansion of Authoritarian Rule.” Freedom House 2022 Report. Retrieved from https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2022/global-expansionauthoritarian-rule
• The Face of the Rising Right-Wing in Hungary: Fidezs. (2021, December, 07). TUIC AKADEMİ. Retrieved from https://www.tuicakademi.org/the-face-of-the-rising-right-wing-populism-in-hungary-fidesz/
• Végh, Z. (2021). Nations in Transit 2021: Hungary. Freedom House. Retrieved from https://freedomhouse. org/ country/hungary/nations-transit/2021
• Varga, M. (2020, April 15). Hungary’s Rule by Decree again defies the EU. ZOIS, Center for East European and International Studies. Retrieved from https://www.zois-berlin.de/en/publications/hungarysrule-by-decree-again-defies-the-eu