Troublemakers on the Danube

The planned Hungarian citizenship law mainly benefits the ruling populists in Budapest and Bratislava, writes the daily Die Presse: "The practice of dual citizenship has stirred up resentment in many cases - just look at what happened when Russian passports were issued in South Ossetia or Abkhazia. And now among Hungary's neighbouring countries it is also provoking resentment despite Budapest's steadfast claims that only Slovakia is causing problems while Romania, Serbia, Ukraine and Austria have no reservations about it. Even if this was the case: Orbán knows very well how hypersensitive the subject is with the Hungarian minority (around 500,000) in Slovakia. He knows very well that there will be elections in Slovakia on June 12 and that the nationalist hooligans there hope to score points with voters with the Hungary issue: left-wing populist Robert Fico just as much as the Hungarian-hater Ján Slota. Does Orbán want to use these two to keep the dispute with the neighbours constantly on the boil? In order to divert attention from the real problems?"

» full article (external link, German)
More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » EU neighbourhood policy, » Elections, » Hungary, » Slovakia
All available articles from » Burkhard Bischof

» To the complete press review of Wednesday, May 26, 2010