Both privately and publicly, European politicians are expressing their anger at Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.image: keystone (archive image)
Since his return to power in 2010, Viktor Orban has transformed Hungary into a veritable laboratory for “illiberal democracy”. For this he receives applause from similarly motivated politicians abroad. But at home his support is crumbling: allegations of corruption and rising prices are bothering him – just before a possible fifth mandate.
04/09/2026, 05:0304/09/2026, 05:03
Andras ROSTOVANYI / afp
Since 2010, Viktor Orban has ruled Hungary with virtually no real competition. But in recent years its shine has clearly diminished: the corruption has simply become too obvious for many – especially for a population that is simultaneously having to tighten its belts more and more.
translation
This text was written by our colleagues from French-speaking Switzerland and we translated it for you.
The 62-year-old power politician, who has turned his country into a laboratory for “illiberal democracy,” has also made a name for himself internationally. Viktor Orban regularly makes headlines with his constant taunts against the European Union and his demonstrative friendships with Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.
Emilia Palonen, associate professor at the University of Helsinki, tells AFP:
“Illiberal rulers see him as a role model – someone who has managed to seize and hold power.”
Emilia Palonen
Born on May 31, 1963 in a village about an hour from Budapest, Viktor Orban initially made a name for himself as a young liberal. In June 1989 he gave a fiery speech against the communist regime in Budapest – and loudly called for democracy.
A year earlier, the lawyer, a graduate of Eötvös Loránd University, had co-founded Fidesz (Association of Young Democrats). Thanks to a scholarship from the Open Society Foundations, Viktor Orban was also able to study at the University of Oxford.
He soon switches course to a course that relies heavily on traditional family values, rural identity and Christianity. A political move that paid off: in 1990, Viktor Orban was elected to parliament – and in 1998, at just 35 years old, he became prime minister for the first time.
Four years later he was voted out by the Socialist Party – the heir to the Communists – and in 2006 he suffered another defeat. A humiliation that accelerates his political change. When Viktor Orban came back to power in 2010 – finding a country shaken by the economic crisis – he took off: under the banner of the “Hungarian nation” he systematically expanded his party’s influence on the media, institutions and universities.
In 2014, Viktor Orban caused a stir: he was one of the first important politicians to openly praise the “illiberal state” as a model for the future. In a speech in a village in Transylvania – where a large Hungarian minority lives – he also put the importance of the rule of law into perspective.
“He learned from the mistakes of his first term in office. “In this way, he was able to push through far-reaching changes at a rapid pace – and consolidate his power in a targeted manner,” analyzes Emilia Palonen.
External enemy
His attacks on the independence of the judiciary, media and institutions – as well as interventions in individual freedoms, such as those of the LGBT+ community – have caused ongoing disputes with the European Union. The consequence: Brussels has frozen billions in funding for Hungary.
He also takes a stand when it comes to migration policy: Viktor Orban refuses to accept asylum seekers – and instead has a border fence several hundred kilometers long built in 2015.
This strategy, which, according to political scientist Zsuzsanna Szelenyi, is based on the image of an “external enemy,” paid off politically for Viktor Orban: He won the 2014, 2018 and 2022 elections with a two-thirds majority.
With a view to April 12th and a possible fifth mandate, Viktor Orban is once again relying on a familiar recipe: after communists and migrants, he is now declaring Ukraine the new enemy. He accuses her of wanting to drag Hungary into the war after the Russian invasion.
But this time the strategy no longer seems to be working. Polls show his challenger Peter Magyar’s Tisza party clearly ahead. Many voters are concerned with something completely different: rising prices, ailing public services – and corruption, from which Orban’s environment is said to have particularly benefited.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, leader of the Fidesz party, delivers a speech at a campaign rally in Veszprem on March 27, 2026, a few weeks before the parliamentary elections scheduled for April 12.Keystone
His authority has also recently cracked: last year, more people took to the streets at the Pride parade in Budapest than ever before – even though Viktor Orban had actually banned the event. And even if he wins the election, things are likely to become more uncomfortable for him. Observers expect that he will encounter a significantly less compliant public – and at the same time he will clash more violently with his European partners. They recently accused him of disloyalty after he vetoed a 90 billion euro aid package for Ukraine at the end of March.
“He has definitely left his mark on politics,” says political scientist Attila Gyulai from the Center for Social Sciences ELTE – referring to the European Union’s tougher line on migration policy. He adds:
“But he acted like a battering ram – and that’s why he’ll probably be the first to wear out.”
Attila Gyulai
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