Hungary's ruling Fidesz party and the government of Viktor Orban stand accused of mass voter intimidation ahead of parliamentary elections on April 12. The documentary film "The Price of the Vote," presenting a six-month investigation by independent journalists, alleges that voters, mayors, former election officials, and a police officer claim large sums of money and even illegal drugs are being offered to pressure people into voting for Fidesz.
The film alleges that 53 of Hungary's 106 individual constituencies and up to 600,000 voters are targeted, potentially 10% of the expected turnout of six million. After 16 years of Fidesz rule under Orban, most recent polls indicate the party is trailing the centre-right opposition party Tisza led by Peter Magyar by at least that margin. All constituencies involved are rural or small-town communities, increasingly dominated by Fidesz since 2010.
According to claims in the film, local mayors exercise an iron grip over daily lives, providing work, firewood, transport to polling stations, and in one case even access to medicine in exchange for the "correct" vote on election day. In one village, the Fidesz mayor is also the district doctor for a catchment area covering 32 settlements; patients say they fear they will not receive prescriptions if they do not vote for the party. Several interviewees claim firewood is only distributed to those who vote for the party.
Filmmaker Aron Timar told the BBC: "In the beginning, we thought the key piece of this process is vote-buying. But then we realised that the money is just the icing on the cake. The key word here is dependency and vulnerability." The film notes that the sum mentioned for voters offered money is usually 50-60,000 forints (£110-£133) per vote, a significant amount in communities where child benefit is only £26-£43 per child per month.
The documentary includes shocking allegations, such as a former candidate dropping his bid after the child protection office allegedly threatened to take his children into care to prevent him from running against the Fidesz-preferred candidate. In another instance, one day after the crew filmed in a village, police allegedly visited their hotel to request the guest list. It is also claimed that "crack" or "smoky," a cheap and highly addictive synthetic drug, is being used to buy votes.
Released with little more than two weeks before Hungarians go to the polls, the film emerges amid a campaign shrouded by almost daily claims of domestic and foreign plots to undermine a fair vote. Fidesz officials, including the prime minister, allege interference by the EU and Ukraine to prevent a fifth consecutive Orban victory. Independent media and the opposition Tisza party allege Russian involvement in support of Orban, seen as Vladimir Putin's closest partner in the European Union.
Source: www.bbc.com