For years, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has enjoyed the admiration of his right-wing peers in other democratic countries. The method he used to gradually consolidate power and weaken his critics has become a model for other populist leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump, who see in his rise a playbook for expanding their political power and eroding the tenets of liberalism they most dislike. In short, Orban has become the quintessential model of populist authoritarianism in 21st-century “illiberal democracies,” a term he helped popularize.
But now, as Hungary’s national elections approach next year, Orban is up against the toughest challenge he has faced in his 15 years of consecutive rule. If the center-right opposition Tisza Party under the leadership of Peter Magyar emerges victorious next spring, Hungary could again become a model—this time for those hoping to defeat far-right leaders with autocratic tendencies.
All year long, Tisza has led Orban’s Fidesz in the polls, despite Orban’s deployment of all the levers of public power against it.