Post-Orbán Hungary Imagined

The G20 and COP-27 summits have been overshadowed as Russia’s assault against Ukraine results in the first casualty on the soil of a NATO member after rocket or air defence missile debris kills two people in a Polish town bordering Ukraine. According to Wojciech Przybylski’s foresight, more collateral damage on the side of NATO can be expected as Moscow raises the stakes due to its faltering objectives on the battlefield. To read in more detail, see Przybylski’s piece here. Our special guest this week is Zsuzsanna Szelényi, former Hungarian parliamentarian and the author of “Tainted Democracy, Viktor Orban and the Subversion of Hungary”. As a former Fidesz insider and then founder of an opposition party, Szelényi provides a concise yet captivating account of how the consensual set of rules between the Hungarian public and government has been undermined since the landslide victory of the ruling party in 2010. Hungary’s recent anti-corruption reforms —  half-hearted at best — are unlikely to undercut systemic corruption. If a post-Orbán point in Hungary’s history can be imagined, restoring the integrity of democratic institutions and sustainable economic growth would be vital first steps for democratic security.