The slide towards authoritarianism in Hungary is happening right now

hat is an “illiberal democracy”? Ever since Viktor Orbán coined the term, it has sparked endless debate. In reality, though, the answer is simple: It is the opposite of a liberal autocracy. And what is a liberal autocracy? Even simpler: It is what his successor, Péter Magyar, has been putting in place since taking power on May 13, 2026, under the complicit silence of Brussels and other European capitals that, until recently, were crying “totalitarian wolf” every other day. Sorry to disappoint you, but Hungary’s autocratic drift is happening now, not before. In the span of two highly productive weeks,...