The Unfolding Illiberalism in Hungary

What is it about?

In the last couple of years, a special, state-driven illiberalism has been unfolding in Hungary. It is based on and the result of two factors. First, the content of illiberal speech found their way into the constitution, laws, and the decisions of the Constitutional Court. Second, this content appears in the intertwined identities of the constitution, the state, and the citizens. It seems that this identity is a challenge to EU obligations and Western values, such as inclusion, equality, and the rule of law.

Featured Image

Why is it important?

This paper has offered a framework for revisiting some important constitutional changes in Hungary and has claimed that a rather rudimentary, ideational core of a special state-driven Hungarian illiberalism has been unfolding over the last couple of years. This revisiting was prompted by the newly emerging literature on illiberalism; the lack of definition of what illiberalism, as a possible thin ideology, means in Hungary; and the gradualness of the deterioration process, which also implies that in retrospect, past deteriorations classified as tendencies at the time of their emergence could be reconsidered.