Illiberal Turn, Democratic Backsliding, or a New Model?

Abstract

It is almost generally held that fundamental changes have taken place with regard the Hungarian political system since 2010 when Viktor Orban’s Fidesz gained a two-third majority in the parliament. However, the exact nature and scope of these changes is debated as there is no scholarly agreement whether they exemplify a case of democratic backsliding or a sharp illiberal turn after two decades of liberal democratic consensus. Sometimes, it is also claimed that Hungary served as a model and foreshadowed similar changes in other countries, established and new democracies alike. After the 2018 election, the governing party is expected to remain in power winning the chance to solidify the existing political regime. But what are the specific building blocks of this regime, how were they established after 2010, and how have they been functioning for the past few years? Investigating the recent changes in a cross-sectional view, the proposed panel offers papers on different aspects of the Hungarian political system. According to participants of the panel, the Hungarian turn cannot be understood examining a sole aspect of the political system only. Instead, the change should be considered on multiple levels at the same time. The participants of the panel are both country and field experts of their topics and offer complementary evaluations of the changes of the Hungarian political system.