• About Us
  • Who Are We
  • Work With Us
Tuesday, June 17, 2025
No Result
View All Result
The Globe Post
39 °f
New York
44 ° Fri
46 ° Sat
40 ° Sun
41 ° Mon
No Result
View All Result
The Globe Post
No Result
View All Result
Home Opinion

Could Protests in Hungary Threaten Prime Minister Orban’s Position?

Umut Korkut by Umut Korkut
01/21/19
in Opinion
A new Hungarian policy on overtime, denounced as a “slave law,” seems to be uniting the country in opposition against Viktor Orban

A new Hungarian policy on overtime, denounced as a “slave law,” seems to be uniting the country in opposition. Photo: Peter Kohalm, AFP

45
SHARES
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

The Hungarian government recently passed an amendment to the labor law that the nation ironically dubbed the “slave law,” and for good reasons. Employers are now allowed to ask for up to 400 hours of overtime and delay payments for up to three years.

The law, that effectively legalizes unpaid overtime, has brought thousands of Hungarians to the streets since mid-December, uniting a plethora of organizations including opposition parties, trade unions, civic activists, and the general public. The opposition finally learned that parliamentary politics alone is not enough to fight Hungary’s authoritarian turn.

While it is difficult to assess the social movements’ success in the short run, similar movements in other countries – such as the Gezi protest in Turkey and the Yellow Umbrella movement in Hong Kong – have waged residual effects on the transformation of politics. Therefore, we should not look at the Hungarian demonstrations in terms of whether they could enforce legislative change, but rather at the mobilization that it has triggered.

Looking at the demographic and social class composition of the demonstrating public, it seems that the protests have reached Hungarians alienated from politics. These publics can now be mobilized to vote in the upcoming elections.

Upcoming Local Elections

The next opportunity to see if the street protests can wage political change will be the local elections set for October.

All opposition parties, including the extreme right, have extended support to the demonstrations. Building electoral alliances towards national and local elections has long been debated in Hungary with the opposition succeeding in only a few occasions. The opposition has so far failed to establish alliances in country-wide elections.

Yet, the upcoming local elections provide an opportunity for the opposition to go beyond their entrenched differences and work together. While all-party alliances – particularly involving the extreme far-right Jobbik – could struggle to attract the liberals for national elections, they could succeed at the local level if parties can agree on a locally well-respected candidate. The protests certainly provide an opportunity for that, because unlike national elections, the local elections present more opportunities for independent candidates to win office.

Trade Unions

Hungary’s trade unions, the most organized and biggest interest groups in the country, have been going through an existential crisis faced with elitism, aging membership, and emigration. They are decentralized at confederation and federation level with some of them co-opted to politics through their alliances with political parties, including with the ruling Fidesz party. However, during the recent demonstrations, some of them have come to prominence with promises of change to achieve wider representation.

At the same time, some companies have stated that they will not follow the terms of the “slave law.” If unions and companies develop common positions regarding the new law, we can see more collaborative employment practices and hence invigorated unions. They can then attract new and particularly younger members.

Protestors demonstrate against the Hungarian government law that targets the Central European University in Budapest
Students and teachers of the Central European University and their sympathizers protest in front of the university in Budapest in 2017. Photo: Atilla Kisbenedek, AFP

Amidst the demonstrations, the opposition and unions could reach out to the latent activist base in Hungary that came out in previous occasions such as the demonstrations against the internet tax and the closure of Central European University. The implications of this will be important for the future course of Hungarian politics. Earlier, the protest movements could not maintain their platforms to offer strong political alternatives at elections.

Government Propaganda

In return, the government propaganda so far has portrayed the demonstrating public as representatives of the “migration lobby” that tries to prevent the Hungarian workers from earning more. Although this appears as a weak argument, as long as the government controls the local and national media, they will continue to maintain their voter base.

What will become crucial from now on for the new opposition is whether they can reach dormant alienated publics and mobilize them to turn out to vote during the local elections of October. This could certainly threaten Orban’s position.

The opposition should maintain their energy, not only on social media but also spatially beyond Budapest, never lose well-known Hungarian humor and political satire, and deliberate to converge on collaborative platforms bringing together a variety of opposition movements. Performance and aesthetics around protests are more important in the long run than the initial outburst of anger during social movements.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of The Globe Post.
Share45Tweet
Umut Korkut

Umut Korkut

Professor of International Politics at Glasgow School for Business and Society at Glasgow Caledonian University

Related Posts

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán
World

Will Hungary Hijack the EU During Its Presidency?

by Staff Writer with AFP
June 24, 2024
Activists hold the Tibetan flag underneath a street sign reading ‘Dalai Lama Road’, near the planned Chinese Fudan university campus in Budapest. Photo: Attila Kisbenedek/AFP/Getty
World

Hungarians Protest PM Orban’s Chinese University Plan

by Staff Writer
June 5, 2021
A health worker holds a bottle of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine.
Featured

The Sputnik V Vaccine: A Scientific and Political Win for Russia

by Staff Writer
February 3, 2021
Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán
Featured

Europe’s East-West Divide: Tolerance With Authoritarian Characteristics

by Zsolt Enyedi
July 14, 2020
Democracy at Risk

Democracy Under Threat During Pandemic, Global Leaders Warn

by Staff Writer
June 25, 2020
Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban
Democracy at Risk

Hungary MPs Approve End of Controversial Emergency Virus Powers

by Staff Writer
June 16, 2020
Next Post
The AUC (Spanish acronym for United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia) was a paramilitary organization that operated between 1997 and 2006

Colombia’s New Gun Law Could Invoke Another Episode of Violent Vigilantism

Arab Israelis with Palestinian flags

Palestinian Authority Will Refuse Remaining US Aid for Fear of Lawsuits

Recommended

Tens of thousands of protestors shut down Fifth Avenue in Manhattan on Saturday, April 5, 2025, protesting the Trump administration's abuse of the separation of federal powers as well as the deep cuts to governmental services overseen by presidential advisor Elon Musk.

Civil Society Is Holding the Line. Will Washington Notice?

June 17, 2025
An Iranian walking in front of a wall painting of the Iranian flag in Tehran

How Much Damage Has Israel Inflicted on Iran’s Nuclear Program?

June 16, 2025
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem on November 19, 2017

Israel MPs to Vote on Opposition Bid to Dissolve Parliament

June 11, 2025
Two protesters wave Mexican flags while standing on a vandalized Waymo vehicle during a demonstration in Los Angeles, California, on June 8, 2025, following a series of aggressive federal immigration operations in the city.

Unrest in Los Angeles Over Immigration Raids as Troops Sent by Trump Fan Out

June 9, 2025
US President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House on August 4, 2020. Photo: Drew Angerer/AFP.

US Steel, Aluminum Tariff Hikes to Take Effect Wednesday: W. House

June 4, 2025
textile workers in Kenya

Workers’ Rights in ‘Free Fall’ Globally: Report

June 2, 2025

Opinion

Tens of thousands of protestors shut down Fifth Avenue in Manhattan on Saturday, April 5, 2025, protesting the Trump administration's abuse of the separation of federal powers as well as the deep cuts to governmental services overseen by presidential advisor Elon Musk.

Civil Society Is Holding the Line. Will Washington Notice?

June 17, 2025
A Black Lives Matter mural in New York City.

Fuhgeddaboudit! America’s Erasure of History

April 2, 2025
Bust of Deputy Rubens Paiva in the Chamber of Deputies

Democratic Brazilians Are Still Here

March 18, 2025
A woman from Guatemala

Dispatch From Central America

January 28, 2025
US President Donald Trump

Dear Trump Supporters: Is This the America You Wanted?

January 28, 2025
Putin talks to Trump in Hamburg

From Roosevelt to Trump: The Complicated Legacy of Personal Diplomacy

November 15, 2024
Facebook Twitter

Newsletter

Do you like our reporting?
SUBSCRIBE

About Us

The Globe Post

The Globe Post is part of Globe Post Media, a U.S. digital news organization that is publishing the world's best targeted news sites.

submit oped

© 2018 The Globe Post

No Result
View All Result
  • National
  • World
  • Business
  • Interviews
  • Lifestyle
  • Democracy at Risk
    • Media Freedom
  • Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Columns
    • Book Reviews
    • Stage
  • Submit Op-ed

© 2018 The Globe Post