Surveillance - stock photo

Pegasus in Hungary: A Surveillance State Unmasked

Analysis
The hacking of dissidents worldwide is even more widespread than we thought. This year’s largest cross-border investigative undertaking, the Pegasus Project, has revealed that at least 10 governments have used sophisticated Israeli spyware to gather information on human rights activists, independent journalists, and opposition politicians. The only EU member in the pool of offenders was Hungary. This might not be an unexpected development for most readers, but it is a further blow to both independent journalism and the sanctity of citizens’ privacy.
By Konrad Bleyer-Simon

Political developments

Jaderná elektrárna Dukovany

Plan for completion of the Dukovany nuclear power plant continues to pose a security threat

Analysis
Czech Industry and Trade Minister Karel Havlíček refused to exclude Russia’s Rosatom from the tender until it was revealed that operatives from Russian military intelligence, the GRU, were behind the 2014 explosions at munitions warehouses in Vrbětice. Even now, however, the Russian candidate is not out of play entirely. How is that possible, and what does it mean for Czech security?
By František Marčík
The president of Slovakia, Zuzana Čaputová on a visit to Brno, 2020

The political crisis in Slovakia is over, but for how long?

Overview
On April 1, 2021, Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová appointed a new government headed by Eduard Heger. The new government was formed by the same four entities of the ruling coalition (two movements – OĽANO and We Are Family – and two parties – SaS and For People) that a year ago, after the last parliamentary elections, formed a government with Prime Minister Igor Matovič, OĽaNO’s leader. Compared to the previous arrangement, there have been just minimal personnel changes – a new Health Minister has taken office and a new Minister of Labor and Social Affairs will be appointed soon.
By Grigorij Mesežnikov
Political developments »

Europe

Slovakia after the murder of J. Kuciak

Political Map of Slovakia Two Years after the Tragedy of the Murder of Ján and Martina Rewritten

Article
February 2020 will be written into the modern political history of Slovakia as a month with a great turning point which combined in a special way two dramatic themes in the internal political development of the country. The first area was a two-year civil society effort to make a major social change after the investigative journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kušnírová were murdered in February 2018 by order of the mafia. The second area was the overwhelming victory of the opposition over the dominant party, Smer-SD, in the parliamentary elections of 2020.
By Grigorij Mesežnikov
Slovakia 2020: Search for Parliamentary Winner(s)

Slovak 2020 General Elections: Analyses of Parliament Scenario(s)

Article
Slovak political landscape is exceptionally fragmented ahead of February 29 general elections. One of the last opinion polls published before the election polls moratorium foresees eight parties to be represented in the parliament. However, conceivable scenarios include 6 to 12 parties possibly entering the parliament.  This pre-election analysis was published by EuroPolicy in cooperation with the Prague office of the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung.  
By Zuzana Gabrižová
Europe »

Focus on Hungary

    Gender Democracy

    Protest proti nastupující normalizaci v srpnu 1969 (Praha)

    Women and Revolution: The Protests in 1969 After Entering the Period of "Normalization" in Czechoslovakia

    The Prague Spring ended with the Soviet Invasion in August 1968, when many had lost their faith that the regime can change, and the political representation has any degree of independency to Moscow. During the first day of occupation, 58 civilians had died as a result of shooting, explosions, or various accidental deaths. Many citizens who were abroad at that time chose to not come back. Yet there was a resistance to the events.
    Gender Democracy »

    Publications

    Current Populism in Europe

    Current Populism in Europe

    Publication

    The book Current Populism in Europe: Gender-Backlash and Counter-strategies aims at exploring populism from various new conceptual, empirical and methodological perspectives.

    pdf

    Political integration of Hungarian students, 2019

    After a four-year absence, the Active Youth (Aktív Fiatalok) Research Group has returned with a new survey about the political attitudes of higher education students in Hungary. The significance of this year’s findings relies on the fact that the political views of the majority of students sampled in this most recent survey – including some born as recently as 2000 – were formed during consecutive terms of prime minister Viktor Orbán and his government, considered by many political scientists and commentators to be a hybrid regime.

    pdf

    Political integration of Hungarian students, 2019

    After a four-year absence, the Active Youth (Aktív Fiatalok) Research Group has
    returned with a new survey about the political attitudes of higher education students
    in Hungary. The significance of this year’s findings relies on the fact that the political
    views of the majority of students sampled in this most recent survey – including
    some born as recently as 2000 – were formed during consecutive terms of prime
    minister Viktor Orbán and his government, considered by many political scientists
    and commentators to be a hybrid regime.

    pdf

    Democracy

    In many countries around the world people are protesting against injustice, abuse of power, dire living conditions, and they are campaigning for higher standards. In the process new forms of citizens’ participation in political and administrative processes are evolving. We support all attempts to achieve greater democratisation and participation.

    The City is for All

    Katalin Rodics

    Attila Mong

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