Viktor Orbán - First among Illiberals? Hungarian and Polish Steps towards Populist Democracy

Abstract

The main aim of the article is to examine a new phenomenon which we witness in Central Europe, namely the illiberal shift. The significant victory of Viktor Orbán in 2010 has determined a new era not only in Hungarian but also in European politics. Basic rules and principles of liberal democracy in Hungary have been deeply weakened. The attack on the separation of powers, the rights of the opposition, independence of public institutions are only few examples of the current illiberal matrix used by Fidesz's government in Hungary, but also Law and Justice in Poland. Importantly, this paper analyses the correlation between the transition process of the early 1990s and the current conservative and declarative anti-neoliberal revolution in the region. Readers of this article could also discover some links with even more illiberal political practices applied by the countries of the former Soviet bloc.

The Legality of the Anti-Migrant Actions of the Italian and of the Hungarian Governments: It Is More Than Just Law. The Necessity to Reform Existing Rules

“…1365/07, the ECHR has blocked the expulsion of a suspected terrorist from Sweden, as he would risk, even at a reasonable speculative level, ill-treatment in his country based on the reason for his expulsion from Sweden. 33 A similar orientation is expressed also in Applications No. 8139/09, 25803/94.…”

The Complexity Inherent in Researching Migrant Identification: The Case of Hungarian Jews in Israel

“…Second, during my observations I sensed that in certain circles it is regarded as shameful to have a Hungarian identity in Israel. This is connected to the above‐mentioned rejection of Hungarian‐ness due to the present Hungarian politics (for more on the illiberal shift in Hungary, see Rydliński ). In some rare instances, the opposite was true: interviewees wanted to present themselves as being more Hungarian, but it turns out that their Israeli identity is already stronger than they would wish.…”

Viktor Orbán: Past to Present

“…Illegal immigrants hoping to transit to western Europe flooded from the Balkans to Hungary. More than 200,000 refugees and economic migrants besieged the external border of the EU (Rydliński, 2018). At one point, about a thousand migrants were trying to board trains for Germany.…”

“…He called for "breaking away from dogmas and ideologies recognized in Western Europe" and basing the Hungarian statehood on "national foundations." Orbán argued that the goal of creating an efficient state capable of making a nation successful and globally competitive requires adopting political and economic institutions that might not conform to Western liberal democratic standards, and once again he cited the examples of Singapore, China, India, Turkey and Russia (Rydliński, B. 2018).…”

“…Orbán went on pursuing profitable deals with Moscow while avoiding strategic commitments and preserving both security ties with NATO and the economic benefits of the EU membership. Hungary also signed a long-term agreement with Russia's Rosatom to expand Hungary's single Soviet-era nuclear Paks plant, with the construction financed by $13.33 bn., a 30-year loan from Moscow (Rydliński, B. 2018).…”