Hungary's Viktor Orban concedes defeat in election with global consequences
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What were the implications of Viktor Orban's election defeat in Hungary?
In an historic election Sunday, voters in the Central European country of Hungary voted out Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Orbán conceded late Sunday. I congratulated the winning party. The result of this election has far-reaching implications, not just for Hungary or for the EU, where Orban has been a thorn in the side of regional leaders, but also because his rise as a right-wing nationalist populist provided a playbook for conservative leaders looking to centralize power. Orban is a close ally of both Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Donald Trump, who have been big fans of the Hungarians' governance style. Last week, the Trump administration sent Vice President J.D. Vance to an Orban election event in Budapest in a last-minute push to rally support.
Vance held up his cell phone so the U.S. president could speak to the crowd. I love Hungary, and I love that Victor. I'll tell you, he's a fantastic man. We've had a tremendous relationship. During his 16 years in power, Orban has been the architect of a style of governance known as illiberal democracy, one where key democratic institutions like the judiciary, the free press, and civil society have been methodically weakened, but where citizens still retain the right to vote. Timothy Gartnash is a professor of European Studies at Oxford University and describes Orban as a disruptive force who blocked European assistance to Ukraine, worked to water down sanctions on Moscow, and presented Ukraine, not Russia, as the principal threat to Europe's security.
Viktor Orban is the veto player in the European Union.
How has Orban's leadership impacted Hungary's relationship with the EU?
He is the European Union's blackmailer-in-chief.
But even as Orban consolidated power and played on Europe's weaknesses, familiar problems plagued his government and helped propel voters to push for change. Zsuzsanna Weg is a political analyst at the German Marshall Fund.
Inflation is very high, and under Orbán's watch, Hungary has become one of the poorest countries of the European Union, which is striking.
A big factor in this election was also a growing narrative around the Hungarian government's corruption. 45-year-old Petter Magyar, the leader of the opposition party TISA, ran on an anti-corruption ticket. He promised to invest the money he said lined the pockets of Orban's inner circle into Hungary's crumbling healthcare and education systems.
He managed to both embody and also to gather and capture the disillusionment with the Orbán regime.
Many young people known as Generation Orbán voted for the first time on Sunday. 27-year-old Yulia Molnar said she was deeply frustrated with systemic corruption.
It's infuriating, and I'm very glad that people are finally brave enough to show up and see for themselves.
Consider this. An election in a country of just 9 million people about the population of New Jersey may have just shown the world a path towards the center after a period of right-wing populist rule. From NPR, I'm Rob Schmitz.
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It's Consider This from NPR.
What factors contributed to the high voter turnout in Hungary's election?
Viktor Orban's leadership in Hungary has been a model of right-wing nationalist populism that's been a point of fascination for politicians around the world, including those in the Trump administration. But Orban's defeat in Sunday's election shows that style, with its efforts to control the judiciary and media, has now seen new limitations. For more on what motivated Hungary's electorate in this historic vote and the implications globally, I spoke with NPR's Esme Nicholson and political scientist Abel Boyar.
What happened today was a truly historical moment in Hungary's political history.
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
What were the implications of Viktor Orban's election defeat in Hungary?
0:00–1:37
2
How has Orban's leadership impacted Hungary's relationship with the EU?
1:37–3:55
3
What factors contributed to the high voter turnout in Hungary's election?
3:55–9:39
4
Who is Peter Magyar and what changes does he represent?
9:39–9:57
Speakers
9 identifiedMore from Consider This from NPR
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