September 12, 2018

BRUSSELS --  European lawmakers voted Wednesday to initiate sanctions proceedings against the Hungarian government for what they said was backsliding on democracy, an extraordinary censure for a nation that was once a beacon of post-Communist transformation.

The measure, which required a two-thirds supermajority of the European Parliament to pass, declared there was a “clear risk of serious breach” of European values by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. It was the first step in a process that could ultimately strip Hungary of its voice in decision-making in the European Union.

The decision creates head winds for Orban’s ambitious quest to remake the continent in his model of “illiberal democracy” — a bloc that would be closer to Russia, less open to migration, and less concerned about independent judiciaries, a free press and minority rights.

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/amid-threats-to-rule-of-law-in-hungary-european-lawmakers-vote-to-start-sanctions-proceedings/2018/09/12/4ba20fe8-b63d-11e8-ae4f-2c1439c96d79_story.html?utm_term=.638261cb8386