Government Spokesperson Zoltán Kovács said with relation to the adoption of the Sargentini Report that it concerns countries, not governments; they are trying to convict a country in a show trial based on ideas that are the result of political motivations.
On Thursday evening on Hungarian M1 television, Mr. Kovács was asked with relation to the fact that previously in the day Minister heading the Prime Minister’s Office Gergely Gulyás said that in the assessment of the Hungarian Government the European Parliament (EP) had not adopted the Sargentini Report because the votes of abstention should also have been taken into consideration, and that together with those votes the required two-thirds majority would not have been achieved.
“We must go to court over the issue”, the Government Spokesperson declared. In reply to a question on what concrete legal measures the Government will take, he promised to reply following Monday’s cabinet meeting.
Mr. Kovács said it is in itself absurd that although one of the charges against Hungary is the violation of European Union regulations, those who want to punish Hungary are continuously changing those rules. The related treaty clearly states that two thirds of the votes cast are required, and voted in abstention also count as votes cast, “just like in any democracy”, he emphasised.
The Government Spokesperson said the Report contains three dozen “grave factual errors” that are suitable for deceiving anyone who has no knowledge of the situation in Hungary.
Referring to the Polish and Lithuanian reactions in support of Hungary, he said: It is good that they are standing up for Hungary, that there is solidarity between the countries of Central Europe and the former Soviet countries, and this provides a certain guarantee with relation to the launching of the proceedings.
Mr. Kovács said that in his opinion there is not just a major difference in opinion in Europe with relation to illegal immigration, but also in people’s interpretation of democracy, and in certain cases “the need to correspond to the will of the people is also being called into question”. It would be worthwhile for the Western elite to return to the path of listening to the will of the people, he added.
On the subject of the Sunday rally being organised by the country’s opposition parties, the Government Spokesperson said: it is in itself an indictment of the opposition parties that they are holding a demonstration in support of something that “reeks of a show trial”.