Cablegate: Europe: Hungary, Protests Against Prime Minister; Western

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RUEHRI/AMCONSUL RIO DE JANEIRO PRIORITY 7455
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TAGS: KMDR OPRC OIIP ETRD BR
SUBJECT: EUROPE: HUNGARY, PROTESTS AGAINST PRIME MINISTER; WESTERN
HEMISPHERE: LEFTIST LEANINGS IN LATIN AMERICA
1. "Western Europe Nations Become Nightmare For the EU"
Center-right O Estado de S. Paulo's Paris correspondent remarks
(9/22): "Violence has erupted in Budapest against socialist Prime

Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany.... But there is another and much more
important victim of such demonstrations: the European Union. Hungary
is one of the eight Western European nations that joined the EU, and
was the nation that moste brilliantly responded to the criteria
demanded by Brussels to deserve its entry ticket. Once admitted, it
unfortunately abandoned the austerity policy and shows today the
highest budgetary deficit in Europe.... Brussels' reprimand was
tough, the prime minister lied and the Hungarians went to the
streets. Hungary is not an isolated case. The Western European
nations that joined the EU have been a headache for the bloc. These
new members, despite being left leaning (case of Hungary) or right
wingers (Poland), are all boats adrift that anguish the EU's
officials.... Today, the old Europe resists and the new Europe shows
signs of fragility. And it can be seen that such forced and
sometimes blindfolded enlargement of the bloc was a questionable
idea."
2. "Elections In Latam Favor Moderate Candidates"
Business-oriented Valor Economico (9/22) editorialized: "The wave of
elections in Latin America is nearing its end and a continent that
is not very much different from the current one will emerge from
them. The leftist wave was not as powerful as it seemed to be at the
beginning, and one of its leaders, the bombastic Venezuelan
president, Hugo Chvez, has faced problems attracting new allies in
addition to the Bolivian indigenous leader Evo Morales. At the end,
there are more populists than leftists, and much more moderates than
radicals.... In practice, the Latin American elections represent a
dam to the intents of leaders like Chvez. The elections have shown
the predominance of moderate trends with populist characteristics
such as that of Kirchner in Argentina, or of politicians whose left
leanings are diluted into a liberal practice to the point of
becoming unnoticeable, such as the case of Uruguayan Tabar Vazquez,
Chilean Bachelet and Lula. Even without new changes there is plenty
of room for crises in the continent. Chvez is carrying out an
irresponsible arms race and reducing democratic liberties in his
nation. Morales wants to take advantage of the Constituent
Assembly.... In Mexico, Obrador, contrary to all evidences that
showed him as the defeated candidate, threatened to cause a civil
confrontation and now wants to be the president of a parallel
government."

McMullen

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