In her interview for Der Spiegel, European Commission’s Vice-President Vera Jourova criticized Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán for instituting an “illiberal democracy” in Hungary, which, according to her, is a “sick” one.
According to Jourova, only a liberal democracy is a healthy one. This is so reminiscent of communist times when only a socialist democracy was deemed to be acceptable. So, democracy must always be defined by some ideology as its guiding light.
However, the essence of democracy is choice.
So, why should one ideology be favored above others? Orbán is proposing a democracy based on Christian values, not necessarily on a Christian democratic party, and why should that be considered illegitimate?
In Central Europe, there is a broad consensus on issues such as traditional family values, respect for religion, national identity and the nation state, and controlling migration, and Central Europeans views on these topics differ greatly from those of Western Europe. Central Europeans also have a very different take on communism.
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