Having come out of socialism, Hungary once again resembles something akin to a one-party state
Bruce Springsteen has pointed out, “ain’t satisfied ‘til he rules everything.” It was to thwart this route to royal satisfaction that 18th-century thinkers such as Montesquieu and James Madison came to prize the separation of powers. If the setting of policy, the writing of laws and the administration of justice were the preserve of different people, absolute power could not end up in one set of hands.
Fidesz’s image abroad is dominated by such demonstrations of nationalist ideology. But the legal and institutional creativity unleashed at home are a more important part of the story. In 2018 a new code of procedure gave courts powers to reject civil filings more easily. Peter Szepeshazi, a former judge, says they can stumble over trivial errors such as a wrong phone number: “If it’s unfriendly to the political or economic elite, they have an excuse to send it back.” A report in April by the European Association of Judges said Ms Hando was riding roughshod over judicial independence.
The country’s domestically owned television and radio stations are nearly all pro-government. Last November the owners of 476 media outlets, including some of the biggest in the country, donated them free of charge to a new non-profit foundation known as, whose goals include promoting “Christian and national values”.
Despite its institutional advantages, Fidesz would not be able to stay in power if it were not so popular. It secures that support though its nationalist appeal and its passable economic record.
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