In the new ORF correspondent magazine, Ernst Gelegs, Patrick Hafner and Benedict Feichtner report from Hungary, Finland and Poland
Vienna (OTS) – “Crisis mode” was chosen as the word of the year 2023. The reason: In view of the multitude of simultaneous crises, the state of emergency has become a permanent state. Who hasn’t lost track of all the crises long ago? The desire for simple explanations is great. But can there be a simple answer to complex questions? This extreme simplification of reality is what makes populism so dangerous, experts say. Thinking in terms of opposites polarizes the political debate, destroys diversity of opinion and cooperation. Democracy and the rule of law are coming under pressure. What happens to countries ruled by populists and what consequences does that have for the people who live there? For the new ORF correspondent magazine “WeltWeit” on the topic “Simple solutions. Where does populism lead?” Ernst Gelegs, Patrick Hafner and Benedict Feichtner will be on ORF 2 in Hungary, Finland and Poland on Friday, February 2, 2024 at 9:20 p.m. in search of the causes of the problems and possible solutions.
Correspondent Ernst Gelegs shows how much people in Hungary are manipulated. 80 percent of the media only spread government propaganda. Critics are publicly defamed, like the student Blanka Nagy, who was the victim of a smear campaign because she criticized Orbán. The media entrepreneur Zoltán Varga was put under pressure and spied on because he did not want to be brought into line. The right-wing populists under Prime Minister Viktor Orbán have systematically undermined democracy in the country.
In Finland, the “True Finns” have been in government since last year’s elections. Correspondent Patrick Hafner took a closer look at the right-wing national party and tried to find out the causes of the numerous scandals surrounding racist statements among the ministerial ranks. And he meets people like Jesse Virta, who voted for the party but is now disappointed that his party supports the dismantling of workers’ rights by the conservative coalition partner in the government.
Correspondent Benedict Feichtner was traveling in Poland and shows how difficult the way back is once the principles of the rule of law have been undermined. After eight years in power, the right-wing nationalist PiS party has lost its majority in parliament. The new Prime Minister Donald Tusk is now trying to restore media freedom, depoliticize the courts and bring the country back onto the EU course. Women’s rights activist Aleksandra Magryta now has hope again – after years in which her fight became increasingly dangerous and hopeless. But not everyone sees the change in government positively; Tusk also encounters a lot of resistance.