This interview in the magazine supplement of Ta Nea, Greece's leading daily, covers the structural roots of Orbán's illiberalism, from Hungary's three lost decades of real wage stagnation to his systematic construction of a transatlantic counter-hegemonic network designed to outlast his own government. We discuss how that network, centered on institutions like the Mathias Corvinus Collegium, shaped the American and European right, and what Magyar's two-thirds majority now mak

From American conservatives and European populists to political allies in the Caucasus, Viktor Orbán has built a network that increasingly rivals the influence once associated with Open Society. How did Hungary become a laboratory for the global right? And what does that mean for Georgia? https://caucasuswatch.de/en/interviews/is-the-defeat-of-viktor-orban-of-any-consequence-to-the-caucasus.html

The change of power in Hungary has become a reality. The new Prime Minister, Péter Magyar, has a chance to open a new chapter in the country’s history and strengthen democracy after the Orbán era. “His inauguration speech offered hope for justice, unity, and a break from the oligarchic system,” said Gábor Scheiring, Assistant Professor of Comparative Politics at Georgetown University in Qatar, on World Talks. However, he pointed to three major traps on the path to sustainable

Two months into the war on Iran, the skeptics have been vindicated, and Europe’s center is slowly rediscovering the international law it abandoned in February. Liberal globalism has collapsed; violent, lawless illiberalism epitomized by Trumpism fills the void. The European center, with Merz as its figurehead, was meant to be the counterweight. Instead, when the US and Israel struck Iran on February 28, German chancellor Merz refused to “lecture” allies, declared internationa

I talk about my up coming book comparing the post-socialist population crisis in Eastern Europe and the deaths of despair epidemic in the US, and how they fuel populism through worse health and social disintegration.

Péter Magyar will be sworn in as Hungary’s new prime minister this week. His government has a strong technocratic thrust — a departure from Viktor Orbán’s cronyism but hardly a revitalization of democratic participation. https://jacobin.com/2026/05/hungary-magyar-democracy-orbanism-technocrat

Hungarian voters delivered a decisive electoral upset to strongman Viktor Orbán, who spent 16 years consolidating power, capturing institutions, and portraying himself as the global template for illiberal democracy. Opposition leader Péter Magyar won a landslide victory, with turnout exceeding 77 percent. The new government now holds a two-thirds parliamentary supermajority. In this episode of The Stakes, CFK Global Fellows Gábor Scheiring and Kristóf Szombati, both veterans

The EU's final approval of a €90 billion loan to Ukraine and the 20th sanctions package on Russia, both unblocked after Hungary's Orbán lifted his two-month veto. What does his election defeat mean for Hungary's EU relations and future support for Ukraine? What fiscal landmine does the incoming Magyar government inherit? What are the long-term solutions for Europe's energy dependence?

Our Hungary election mini-series continues in the wake of a seismic result: Péter Magyar's Tisza party swept Fidesz from power with a two-thirds supermajority, endi#86C6E5ng sixteen years of Viktor Orbán's rule. In this episode, Kristóf is joined by his former party co-founder and political economy scholar Gábor Scheiring to make sense of what happened — and the treacherous transition ahead. Together, we trace how Orbán's political settlement unraveled under the weight of a s

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's defeat at the hands of Péter Magyar in last Sunday's elections ends a 16-year period, which many Hungarians consider marked by corruption, a declining economy, and an increasingly authoritarian regime. My interview in one of Chile’s leading national dailies. https://www.latercera.com/mundo/noticia/orban-y-el-fin-de-una-era-en-hungria/#google_vignette

Hungary’s morning after... Analyzing the regime-change in Hungary -after the euphoria settles. Twenty-Four Two’s special 15-episode series on Hungary. “A competitive authoritarian regime is a competitive authoritarian regime,” Scheiring tells us. “As long as you have elections, it’s possible to beat the ruling party, but it’s just hard, right? It’s much harder than in a free and fair democracy with free and fair elections”. Orbán conceded quickly because his defeat was undeni

For the first time in 16 years, long-standing European leader Viktor Orbán has conceded defeat to his former acolyte Péter Magyar and his Tisza Party.

Several factors played a role in Péter Magyar's victory over the incumbent Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, primarily those related to the dismal economic situation. "It was the complete economic exhaustion of the Orbán regime, stagnant real wages for many years and sharply increasing inequality". My interview on the Czech Radio’s online news portal. https://www.irozhlas.cz/zpravy-svet/madarsko-volby-magyar-orban-tisza-kampan-ekonomika-strategie_2604150700_ula

Hungary's historic election is being hailed as a win for democracy and a possible shift away from far-right leadership across the region. After 16 years in power, Viktor Orban was voted out, following a record turnout. His successor, Peter Magyar, has outlined his agenda overnight; raising questions about what this leadership change means for Europe. https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/radionational-breakfast/what-does-hungary-s-election-mean-for-europe-/106573916

Orbán tried to reframe the election around geopolitics, parading his friendships with Trump and Putin – but that backfired.

The 2026 Hungarian parliamentary election marked a significant turning point in the country's relationship with the European Union. The victory of Péter Magyar and the Tisza Party signaled a potential departure from the governance model that had characterized Hungary's political landscape for over a decade. Observers have suggested that the new administration's stated commitment to strengthening democratic institutions, enhancing judicial independence, and addressing corrupti

After 16 years, Hungary’s far-right Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his populist Fidesz Party have been defeated. Orban’s former ally Peter Magyar will now take the helm. Magyar says his conservative Tisza Party will shift away from Russia and towards the European Union. But Orban had been supported not just by Putin, but by Netanyahu in Israel and Trump in the US. So how will Washington react to the result after it publicly backed his government? Can Budapest improve its rel

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has conceded defeat after his opponent Péter Magyar's landslide victory. Far-right authoritarian leader Orbán had been in power for 16 years and made a number of major changes to the country's constitution to weaken the judiciary. https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2026/04/13/viktor-orban-loss-hungary

Tomorrow at the polls. The event featuring big names in music is packed two days before the vote. Organized by the Anti-Orbán Civic Resistance Movement. https://ilmanifesto.it/la-piazza-giovane-di-budapest-contro-il-siste ma-e-non-solo

Why is this election so important outside of Hungary? Why Washington, Moscow, Kyiv and Brussels eagerly awaite the outcome. https://www.aljazeera.com/video/inside-story/2026/4/10/why-is-hungarys-election-so-important-on-the-international-stage

Orbán began vilifying the EU, often comparing Brussels to the Soviet Union, even while receiving massive amounts of EU money, and resisting pressure to reverse democratic backsliding. From 2014 until 2022, Hungary was one of the biggest beneficiaries of EU funds. Orbán could navigate the EU system really well: get all the money and get away with his political shenanigans. https://apnews.com/article/hungary-orban-eu-elections-reforms-brussels-budapest-69868c03330a50c679050bf58

The U.S.-Israeli military operation in Iran began a little over a month ago, and there is still no resolution in sight. As the war continues to send ripples across the global economy, there is a risk that we have already passed a threshold beyond which the looming specter of recession could become all too real.

Further evidence is emerging of direct collaboration between members of the Hungarian government and the Kremlin regime. I spoke to the Polish centre-left weekly news magazine ont he chances for regime-change in Hungary. https://www.polityka.pl/tygodnikpolityka/swiat/2337781,1,orbn-przelicytowal-i-szuka-ratunku-kolejne-rewelacje-o-zwiazkach-rzadu-wegier-i-moskwy.read

Global oil shortage, gas shortage, fertilizer shortage, aluminum shortage, global aviation collapse. The only way out of this is a world crisis of war. I spoke with the host, economist Zoltán Pogátsa.