Breaking the Spiral? Democratic Capacity of Péter Magyar and the Respect and Freedom Party (TISZA) in Hungary

This article develops a discourse-based framework to assess the democratic capacity of opposition actors in electoral autocracies, applying it to Hungary’s Respect and Freedom Party (TISZA) and its leader, Péter Magyar. Building on research on anti-pluralism, democratic backsliding, and opposition strategies, it conceptualizes democratic capacity along three dimensions: political goals, value of pluralism, and norm consistency. Methodologically, the study combines critical discourse analysis with theory-guided qualitative content analysis of 22 Magyar Infó livestreams, treating discourse as an ex ante indicator of future behaviour in office. Empirically, TISZA’s discourse predominantly orients toward democratic restoration: it foregrounds rule-of-law reforms, term limits, European anchoring, cross-camp inclusion and legal, nonviolent accountability. Yet selective anti-elite populism, ‘traitor’ rhetoric and hints of conditional restraint reveal semi-loyal tensions and the dilemmas of opposing an entrenched autocracy without mimicking its logic. Although limited, discourse-based diagnostics provide an early tool for anticipating whether regime challengers deepen or reverse autocratization.