Fidesz

Political Capital’s analysis of the relationship between the European People’s Party (EPP) and Fidesz, Fidesz’s suspension, and its consequences in Hungary.

Orbán tries to destroy Germany’s positive image in Central Eastern Europe, depicting Germany as the capital of the decadent, liberal, pro-immigration EU that is doomed to fail. Tolerating such a behaviour would be a huge long-term strategic mistake for Germany.

The attack on CEU is one in a series of attempts to eliminate the so-called enemies of illiberal democracy. The government has manufactured a fear-inducing narrative by inventing an imaginary enemy threatening the people of Hungary.

Europe seems to face a more immediate threat than Le Pen. It comes from a central European country whose governing party belongs to the most mainstream European party, the European People’s Party, Hungary.

Hungary’s largest left-wing political daily, Népszabadság, has shut down unexpectedly, and it is more than likely that this development is linked to the governing Fidesz party of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Independent journalists are not giving up, however, despite the ruling party’s tightening grip on the media.

Political scientist Bulcsú Hunyadi works in Budapest for Political Capital, a think tank. Eva van de Rakt, Office Director at the Heinrich Boell Foundation in Prague, spoke with him about the outcome of the municipal elections in Hungary and the problems faced by the democratic opposition.

Despite the poignant victory of Fidesz: The elections showed losses for all parties. Juhász Attila, analyst at Political Capital Policy Research and Consulting Institute, explains why.

On 6 April, Fidesz obtained another two-thirds majority in the Hungarian parliament. What will Viktor Orbán want to do with his supermajority, and what are the next four years likely to bring in Hungarian politics and society?