Smear campaigns are constant components of Fidesz’s recipe to stay in power Analysis For the first time in 12 years, it seems like Hungary’s illiberal Prime Minister might need to worry about the outcome of a national election. The Government’s cronies are responding with a wave of attacks on the reputation of opposition members and their allies. By Konrad Bleyer-Simon
The Ailing European Academic Accreditation System Hacked by Illiberal ‘Polypore Science’ – An Interview with Hungarian Gender Studies Professor Andrea Pető Interview The internationally renowned Hungarian academic Andrea Pető, Professor in the Department of Gender Studies at Central European University, resigned from the Hungarian Accreditation Committee (HAC) after being pressured by the president of the Committee to withdraw a paragraph from her double peer-reviewed and published article entitled “The Illiberal Academic Authority: An Oxymoron?”. By Andrea Pető and Anna Frenyó
Legalized voting tourism and other rules threatening the chances of transparent elections Analysis Recently, in mid-November 2021, Hungarian Parliament adopted a bill which did not itself amend the rules governing elections, but may nonetheless have a profound impact on the integrity of the 2022 parliamentary elections in Hungary. By Dániel Döbrentey
Right of Paradise: Dangerous Liaisons in the Slovak Culture Wars Essay In Slovakia, the original discourse of the Catholic Church’s struggle for the preservation of the “traditional family” has spilled over into public politics in the form of what have come to be known as culture wars. New figures have appeared on the scene of anti-gender campaigns. The mobilization of Christian movements, however, is lately being disrupted by a fission in the seemingly unified agenda. By Jana Vargovčíková
The End of the Babiš Era? The Czech Republic between the past and the future Analysis Following the recent parliamentary elections, many Czechs celebrated the opposition parties’ victory over the business magnate and incumbent Prime Minister Andrej Babiš. However, the new center-right governing coalition must be careful not to return to the previous status quo that helped Babiš to power eight years ago. By Adéla Jurečková
Feminists, Islam, and The Middle Ages: Czech Literature in the Context of Culture Wars Essay The current clashes over values are reflected even in works of Czech literature and capture the imagination of both living classics and the incoming generation of writers. Although ideological arguments primarily follow the liberal-conservative dividing line, the realm of literature also is familiar, especially inside the liberal opinion camp, with an inwardly oriented critique, or exaggerated narratives with highly ambivalent meanings. By Stefan Segi
A brief analysis of the German federal election 2021 Analysis Germany has voted. The SPD, Greens and FDP come out of the elections as the winners, but take a very different view of the results – depending on their expectations and the pressure they feel upon them to act. By and large, the trend towards a party system in which no single party dominates continues. Constituency seats played a very particular role in these elections. This brief analysis provides an overview of the initial results, with a more comprehensive, empirical analysis to follow in the next few days. By Stefanie John
Why Orbán's "child protection referendum" makes no sense, and why it does Article Back in June, the Hungarian Parliament adopted a new law, the so-called "Child Protection Act, that resulted in a major international controversy and infringement procedures launched by the European Commission over its measures targeting the LGBTQ+ community. Seeking to reinforce these provisions on the European stage, Viktor Orbán recently announced a referendum on the regulations. Is it about protecting children, or is it a tool for Viktor Orbán in his domestic and European political battles? Analysis. By Zoltán Kovács
The Horrifying Right to One’s Own Context: Seven Rules of Culture Warfare Essay The conflicts dividing contemporary society do not necessarily reflect the right–left dichotomy. This transformation of the political map is linked to a transitional situation in which the feuding parties’ very identities are subject to change. The invasion of politics into the personal and the moral spheres of life enables virtually anybody to take their own part in culture wars. By Ondřej Slačálek
Swedish Ambassador: “Feminist policy” prompts discussion more than gender balance does Interview A feminist approach is transforming the system much more than traditional foreign policy has, says Swedish Ambassador for Gender Equality and Coordinator of Feminist Foreign Policy, ANN BERNES. According to her, in the beginning the concept of feminism in politics surprised even the Swedes themselves. ”The giggle effect is there no more, because our experience is that change is possible,“ she claims. By Lucia Yar