Ultra-orthodoxy and selective voluntarism: How did the Orbán regime react to the first wave of the pandemic?

Abstract

Viktor Orbán's regime in Hungary is a prime example of authoritarian populism in a relatively developed country that has been part of the European Union since 2004. The paper argues that in response to the pandemic, the Orbán government pursued a set of selectively voluntarist policies that have been informed by an ultra-orthodox, state-centered worldview that sought to minimize the regime's democratic accountability and to reduce the counter-mobilization ability of the opposition. These policies had been associated with comparatively low infection and death rates in the first wave of the pandemic, hence enabling high approval ratings for the government despite generating considerable human and economic costs. In light of rising infection and death rates from September 2020, however, it is yet to be seen whether the COVID-19 crisis, in balance, will reinforce or undermine popular support to the regime.