Hungary's Lessons for Trump's Opponents

"Orbán and his Fidesz party transformed Hungary into a new kind of state, which he proudly proclaimed as an 'illiberal democracy.' He and his allies rewrote the constitution to entrench his power, centralizing control over civil society and countervailing institutions such as courts and universities."

"Magyar understood that such a regime does not simply collapse under the weight of its own contradictions and mismanagement. His criticism of Fidesz corruption could not be so easily dismissed, as he had insider knowledge of the party's inner workings."

"Two years ago, he released an embarrassing tape of his former wife, then the justice minister, speaking about Orbán officials attempting to tamper with documents in a major corruption case. That was the beginning of the ultimately successful campaign to unseat the ruling party."

"Magyar was an unlikely agent for Orbán's undoing, because he was until recently an apparatchik in the Fidesz machine. However, his party, Tisza, which barely existed two years ago, has now won a parliamentary majority."

Viktor Orbán's tenure as Hungary's Prime Minister transformed the country into an 'illiberal democracy' through constitutional changes and control over institutions. His recent electoral defeat was orchestrated by a coalition of politicians and voters who set aside differences to challenge his regime. Péter Magyar, a former Fidesz member, emerged as a key figure in this opposition, leveraging his insider knowledge and exposing corruption to rally support. His party, Tisza, which was nearly non-existent two years prior, successfully unseated Orbán's Fidesz party in the elections.

Read at The Atlantic