Hungary is a country where the clearest contrast can be observed in
recent years in comparison with the previous decade in terms of economic
policy, international economic and political relations, and managing EU
affairs. The strong support behind and the overwhelming parliamentary majority
of FIDESZ-KDNP coupled with marginalized opposition forces since 2010 made it
possible to put into place a completely new program relative to previous years.
Using its strategic orientation, rhetoric, and the changes in the electoral
system, in April 2014, the government again won an overwhelming (two thirds)
majority of the parliamentary seats in the general elections. It seemed that
the master plan of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán was finally achieved. He had
positioned his party in the middle of the political arena and himself as the
defender of democracy against the far-right party Jobbik. After winning the parliamentary
elections it was anticipated that the government would not be facing any major
challenges in the coming years. However unexpected it was though, a growing sense
of dissatisfaction with the government had soon started to grow. This change in
attitude was fundamentally caused by three events: political mistakes committed
by the ruling parties on the domestic scene; increasing international pressure
on the government prompted by its authoritarian politics; and the emergence of
sharp dividing lines within the governing elite. Given these significant and
unexpected changes since the 2014 elections, the political context for the next
years has become much more obscure than anyone could have anticipated. The
political fight between FIDESZ-KDNP (governing parties), JOBBIK (the far-right)
and the Left (traditional and “new” left) will be extremely fierce in the next
2-3 years, which without a doubt will severely disturb the relations between
Hungary and the European Union. (Click on the picture)
(A slightly different version of this analysis has been publiched in: Eleanor E. Zeff and Ellen B. Pirro (eds) The European Union and the Member States, Third Edition. Lynne - Rienner Publishers, Boulder, Colorado, USA, ISBN: 978-1-62637-256-6 pb, pp. 279-298. August 2015. https://www.rienner.com/uploads/55b14cb0e6953.pdf)
