Hungary’s First Female President – a Victory for Women? Katalin Novák, 44, is Hungary’s very first female President and youngest-ever head of state, elected in March 2022 and inaugurated in May 2022. Novák’s sugar-coated eloquence, international experience, and multilingual skills contribute to making Fidesz internationally presentable. Whether her election is a victory for Hungarian women is questionable, though. By Anna Frenyó
Pragmatism at its peak – Orbán’s war rhetoric After years of perpetual rhetorical wars and shadow-boxing with Brussels, international liberal elites and other mostly imaginary enemies, PM Viktor Orbán got himself a real war to deal with. By Rudolf Berkes
Jobbik’s voters were the most likely to be missing from the opposition coalition’s camp Flash report Voters critical of the Orbán system are too diverse to be locked into a single camp. As it seems, it was an illusion to suggest that the majority of former Jobbik voters can vote on a list with center-left parties. The maneuvering space of the fifth Orbán government will only be limited by economic and foreign policy necessities; domestically, it has an easier job than ever before. By Róbert László
Hungarian teachers protest despite governmental restrictions and intimidation Article The nationwide teachers' protests unfolding in the recent months in Hungary have become a target of the ruling FIDESZ-Christian Democrat alliance, which has successfully attempted to contain the widespread general strike, using COVID-19 sanitary restrictions as a pretext and by labelling it a “campaign act of the Left”. By Anna Frenyó
Orbán could win the election - and lose the world Analysis Putin’s war in Ukraine seems to be rewriting everything in the Hungarian election campaign, except for the balance of power between the contestants – for now, at least. The ruling party remains the most likely to win the general election, but there is something else Orbán might also lose. By Róbert László
Narrowing room for manoeuvre: The effects of Putin's war on Hungary Analysis Hungarian foreign policy has been standing on two pillars in the past decade: building multilateral ties with great economic powers in order to boost trade, foreign investment, and development, and in the meantime maintaining traditional commitments to EU and NATO allies in the security and defence realm. However, with the tensions between Russia and Ukraine escalating to a war, Hungary has had to change its long-established attitudes overnight. In such a situation, any pro-Russian stance and balancing became practically impossible. By Tamás Csiki Varga, András Deák and Krisztián Jójárt
Wide protests unfolding against investments threatening Hungary’s great lakes Commentary A growing number of public and private investments is posing enormous threats to Hungarian lakes. By András Lukács
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
Growing protests against priority investments in Hungary Commentary The Hungarian Government has classified more than 3000 investments as priority projects, which means that for these projects, both public participation and control by experts who are independent are practically non-existent. By András Lukács
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