Hungary’s Parliament Passes Law Targeting George Soros’s University
New amendments to an existing higher education law — which received the support of 123 lawmakers, with 38 voting against and another 38 abstaining — ostensibly affect about two dozen universities,
but they were widely believed to be aimed specifically at Central European University, based in Budapest.
But the amended law contains a provision that would most likely restrict the independence of universities
that offer diplomas from countries where they do not have a campus or offer courses — a provision that would affect only Central European University.
"That would be entirely absurd." The leaders of Eotvos Lorand University, one of Hungary’s largest
and most prominent universities, known as ELTE, were among dozens of voices from the education sector to speak out in support of Central European University.
He called the way the university operated a "fraud," adding
that "in Hungary, one cannot be above the law — even if you’re a billionaire," a clear reference to Mr. Soros.
Even before the vote, Mr. Orban’s conservative government had been accused of weakening academic freedom, a constitutional right, and the legislation approved on Tuesday amended a 2011 law
that put government-appointed officials in charge of finances at state-funded universities.
eride the idea that democracy requires independent institutions or constraints on majority rule." Hungary received the lowest "democracy score" in Central Europe, the statement said.
that Viktor Orban of Hungary and Jaroslaw Kaczynski of Poland openly d
