Ukraine Accuses Hungary of Interfering in Local Elections

Ukraine accuses Hungary of influencing the large Hungarian population in Western Ukraine. (Wikimedia Commons)

Tensions sparked between Kyiv and Budapest on October 27 as Kyiv accused the Hungarian government of interfering in the Ukrainian municipal elections, in which the ethnic Hungarian party KMKSZ expects to have won an unprecedented victory.

The Ukrainian allegations against Hungary began with Ukraine banning two Hungarian officials from entering the country after the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry caught them openly campaigning for the Hungarian party in Zakarpattia Oblast, a Ukrainian region neighboring Hungary.

According to Ukrainian officials, campaigning for domestic elections as agents of a foreign government constitutes interference in internal affairs.

In retaliation, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry delivered a formal note of protest to the Hungarian ambassador for political agitation. The statement read, “The ministry at once called on the Hungarian side to respect the law of Ukraine and not take steps that indicate direct interference in the internal affairs of Ukraine and do not correspond to the good-neighbourly character of Ukrainian-Hungarian relations.”

The Hungarian Foreign Ministry has responded to the accusation by denying any involvement in the election and condemning the decision by Ukraine to ban the two Hungarian officials from entering the country as "pathetic and nonsense."

Officially, the Ukrainian government has not released the results of the local elections. However, the Hungarian Foreign Ministry congratulated Hungarian candidates on what they expect to be a big win for the KMKSZ.

Budapest accuses Kyiv of souring relations between the two countries. This decision could have an impact on whether Ukraine can join NATO. The Hungarian Foreign Minister remarked, "Unfortunately, with this decision, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has sent only one message: Ukraine is willing to give up on continuing its previous efforts toward European and Euro-Atlantic integration.”

In the past, Hungary has said that it would block Ukraine’s membership from NATO after the two countries clashed over Ukraine’s restriction of minority languages in school, which Hungary said limited Hungarian minority rights in Ukraine. 

Regarding Hungary’s threat to block Ukraine-NATO relations, the European Commission spokesperson announced that the European Union would not become involved, stating, “The recent tensions over Hungary’s election interference in Ukraine… should be resolved bilaterally.”