EUROPE: HUNGARY, PROTESTS AGAINST PRIME MINISTER; WESTERN

UNCLAS SAO PAULO 001030 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE INR/R/MR; IIP/R/MR; WHA/PD DEPT PASS USTR USDOC 4322/MAC/OLAC/JAFEE E.O. 12958: N/A 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