Orbánism: The culture of illiberalism in Hungary

Abstract

The 2016 election victory of Donald Trump and the UK referendum on 23 June 2016 to leave the European Union (Brexit) both signal tremendous alterations in global politics. What really connects these international changes to the steady popularity of Viktor Orbán in Hungary? This article describes how a newly emerging and growing transnational political process known as illiberal democracy has influenced Hungary and other states since the late 1990s. By utilizing fieldwork materials from the mid- to late-2010s, it is asserted that both the process of Brexit and the election of Donald Trump have boosted not only the legitimacy of extreme right but contributed to the solidification of illiberalism in Hungary.