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This blog provides you English news updates, articles, and videos about rising authoritarian rule in Hungary.

The Hungarian Government is Undermining EU Action Against Lukashenko

August 15, 2020 by Péter Sárosi

While the rest of Europe watched with horror as Alexander Lukashenko unleashed unprecedented terror on its own people, the Hungarian government helped him to stabilize his power.

How the Ruling Party Keeps a Firm Grip on Power in Hungary

July 29, 2020 by Péter Sárosi

Why do so many Hungarians keep voting for the ruling party, Fidesz? Political analysts have been trying to find the answer to this question for several years. There are multiple explanations, some of them are supplementary, others are contradictory to each other.

Index’s Freedom Fight Comes to an End. What’s Next? The Top Hungarian News Site Broadcasts Its Independence Struggle

July 24, 2020 by Lili Török

Most of the editorial staff at Hungary’s largest online news site resigned today, after a decade-long struggle for the company’s independence. The way pro-government interests co-opted the company, slowly, and then all at once, is a textbook example of the way Fidesz has built its media empire over the years. The way the editorial staff stood their ground, and broadcast this struggle, is an important commentary on independent journalism and democratic backsliding. The question is: are Hungarians ready to pay to help them start over?

China Funds a Trip to Autocracy in Europe What happens when two authoritarian regimes partner to build railways in Europe?

June 29, 2020 by Lili Török

China needed to pass through Europe. Hungary needed to bypass it. Here is the story of the Hungarian-Chinese partnership to renovate the Budapest-Belgrade railway route.

How to Become a Hungarian Millionaire in Just a Few Weeks Using Public Procurement The Story of a Soccer Player Who Quit the Game and Immediately Won USD 25 Million in Public Funding for Hotel Renovation

June 23, 2020 by Péter Sárosi

A soccer player made USD 25 million when he applied to a public tender without any experience. Here is how he did it. He was in the right place, at the right time – and knew the right people.

Hungary’s Campaign to Centralize Power in the Crisis: the Details

June 17, 2020 by Lili Török

Faced with a dire economic outlook, the Orbán government undermined those best positioned to help — municipal governments.

Authoritarians Unite: How Orban and Lukashenko Partnered Up in the Crisis

June 9, 2020 by Péter Sárosi

A meeting of two authoritarian leaders serves to demonstrate their joint defiance against external criticism while both leaders launch a renewed crackdown on their oppositions.

Hungary Pilots Special Economic Zones and a New Strategy to Weaken Orban’s Opposition

June 3, 2020 by Lili Török

Nervous for a Samsung investment, the Orban administration used the COVID-19 pandemic to pass a decree and strip an opposition-led town of power and taxes.

Hungarian PM Orbán’s Friend Wins Big During the COVID-19 Crisis

May 28, 2020 by Péter Sárosi

Corruption risks in Hungarian procurement reached their highest level since 2005 during the COVID-19 crisis, according to a new report published by the Corruption Research Centre Budapest (CRCB). The big winner is Prime Minister Orbán’s straw man.

A Guide to Orbán’s Power Grab Policies Why The Rest of the World Should Watch Hungary Right Now

May 21, 2020 by Lili Török

On March 31, the Hungarian parliament voted to grant extraordinary emergency powers to its government, enabling the Orbán administration to rule by decree, and to jail anyone accused of distorting the truth for up to five years. The law passed without a sunset clause — it will remain in effect until the end of the pandemic, which will be up to the government to decide. With this, Hungary became the first country where a government used the pandemic as an excuse to infinitely expand its powers. The specifics of how these powers are used are important, because Hungary has been a testing lab for post-truth authoritarian regimes for years. Here is a review of what happened since then.

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What Freedom-Loving Hungarians Expect from a Biden Presidency

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Joe Biden is favored to win the presidency in the upcoming U.S. elections. He has condemned the Hungarian prime minister and praised “freedom-loving Hungarians.” What would his presidency mean for pro-democracy activists in practice? We interviewed human rights leaders on the ground, who told us about their perceptions of U.S. foreign policy in Hungary, what changed during the Trump era, and what a good relationship with U.S. diplomacy means to them.

David Takes on Goliath: The Struggle for Academic Freedom in Hungary

October 11, 2020 By Péter Sárosi

For a month now, hundreds of Hungarian students have occupied their campus and resist the government’s pressure to eliminate the autonomy of their university. Their fight attracted international attention and evoked support from broad ranges of society. In this article we try to put this story in the context and present you the challenges of resisting autocracy in a hybrid regime.

Hungarian Public Foundation Rejects NGO Application for EU Funding over Unlawful Foreign Agent Law

September 30, 2020 By Péter Sárosi

In June, the highest court in the European Union ruled that Hungary’s Foreign Agent Law requiring NGOs with foreign funding to self-identify and disclose their donors was unlawful. A few months later, a Hungarian public foundation operated by the government denied Power of Humanity Foundation, a human rights education NGO, EU funding over noncompliance with the same law. The NGO is asking the European Commission to investigate.

100 Years Ago, Hungary Adopted the First Racial Law in Europe

September 23, 2020 By Péter Sárosi

100 years ago, on 23 September 1920, the Hungarian parliament adopted the so-called Numerus Clausus Law, often dubbed the first racial, antisemitic law in Europe, long before the Nazi racial laws.

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