Hungary campaigns in Slovakia

Hungary's Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén wants to grant voting rights to Hungarians living abroad. An absurd idea, writes the liberal daily Sme: "It is unclear to what extent Hungarians living abroad could take part in elections, and whether they will end up sending their own members of parliament to Budapest. But that doesn't really matter one way or the other. ... For Slovakia what matters is that these votes are meant to shore up a government on the other side of the border that will be a constant source of international problems. Worse still, Hungarian party politics are being exported to Slovakia, and not only at election time. Prime Minister Orbán is waging emotional campaigns against all manner of enemies and never stops whipping up his electorate. That's how populist politics work. And this national populism stands to have a greater effect among Hungarians living abroad than it does at home. So we should start bracing ourselves now."

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