Hungary's ruling party on Wednesday, June 4, said it was delaying next week's vote on a bill that would allow the government to sanction "foreign-funded" NGOs and media, and which has drawn protests. Critics consider the bill "on transparency in public life" as the latest attempt by nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban to muzzle dissenting voices since returning to power in 2010.
In a fresh protest against the planned law, thousands marched in silence, many with their mouths taped shut, in central Budapest on Sunday. The European Commission has also called on Hungary to withdraw the draft, vowing to take "necessary action" if it is adopted. A vote was scheduled to take place in parliament next week, but Orban's ruling Fidesz party said it would take "longer to process the substantive comments received."
"Debate on the proposal will continue in the autumn," the party's parliamentary group press department told Agence France-Presse (AFP). Mate Kocsis, the head of Fidesz in parliament, said on Facebook that there were "serious organizations outside the affected parties that have good suggestions for the transparency law." "We are united in our intentions, but there is still debate about the means," he added.
There are some objections to the bill within the governing coalition, according to media reports. The legislation would empower the government to sanction organizations that "threaten the sovereignty of Hungary by using foreign funding to influence public life." The government argues that these measures are necessary to defend against "foreign interference."
Civil rights organizations hailed the vote being put off, with Amnesty International calling it a "huge joint success."
"Of course, we can only rest easy once this unlawful bill has been scrapped for good (...) Unfortunately, one thing is certain: The government will not give up its attempts to silence independent voices, as has been its goal since 2010," the group said on Facebook.
Opposition leader Peter Magyar also warned that the vote's postponement would allow the government to "squeeze even more out of it and further divert attention from (...) the livelihood and housing crisis, Orban's galloping inflation and the destruction of education."
According to the draft law, sanctioned organizations would need permission to receive foreign funding. They would also be barred from receiving donations through Hungary's annual 1% income tax contribution system, an important source of revenue for nonprofit organizations.
The proposed legislation has been condemned by the opposition, which has accused the government of copying Russia's authoritarian evolution. More than 300 organizations in Hungary have joined a statement that describes the bill as an "authoritarian attempt to retain power." Representatives of more than 80 media outlets from 22 countries – including Britain's The Guardian and France's Libération – have also urged their governments and the European Union to do everything in their powers to prevent its enactment.