Hungary has election day approaching on April 12, but the results are practically predetermined. The far-right incumbent, Viktor Orbán, is facing Péter Magyar in the race for which political party will hold the majority and, therefore, determine the Prime Minister. Orbán has been in power since 2010 and has since drastically changed Hungary’s electoral system in ways that make his victory much more likely.
Although Orbán’s Fidesz party is currently trailing in the polls pretty dramatically in comparison to Magyar’s Tisza party, there is still a decent possibility that the way he has skewed the electoral system could still lead to a victory for his party. For this reason, Hungary is often deemed as having “free, but not fair elections.”
Orbán has taken Hungary in a direction with themes scarily similar to what Trump is doing in the United States. He’s packed the courts with loyalist judges and has had a significant impact on how the media portrays himself and his party, effectively turning 80% of Hungary’s media into propaganda for his party.
While we aren’t to the point where 80% of our media is intentionally aligned with the values of our administration, we could well be on our way there with the recent unprecedented media company mergers that have been approved by the FCC. Kimmel being removed from the air in the fall for his comments regarding the Trump administration’s response to the assassination of Charlie Kirk isn’t that far off from what’s happening with media coverage in Hungary.
Orbán has also made himself out to be a “defender of traditional Christian family values,” which means he has pushed policies that are anti-LGBTQ and critical of migration. He has often commented on how he believes “illegal” immigration is a threat to democracy, European culture, and Christian values, even building a barbed-wire fence around the entire border of Hungary. Does this sound familiar?
Orbán has garnered support from numerous prominent right-wingers from various countries around the world, including President Putin and President Trump. Vice President JD Vance even visited Hungary recently to show his support for the incumbent.
Trump and his administration are making it outwardly clear that they support Orbán and his policies. It is extremely alarming that our president has aligned himself with a leader who, although he upholds free elections, makes them far from being fair. With the midterm elections approaching this year and the presidential election just a couple of short years ahead, I find myself worried about the state of our elections.
Also, let us not forget that Trump is still selling a “Trump 2028” hat on his website. Combine that fact with his support of Orbán in Hungary, and I feel that Hungary might just be paving the way for the United States.
Even if Magyar is not a perfect candidate, we can only hope that he will defeat Orbán and break this precedent of unchecked power for 16 years straight, not only for the sake of the people of Hungary, but also for the roadmap for the United States.