Veranstaltungen und Termine

Introduction and welcome by Prof. Dr. Uwe Puetter

In spring 2026 the Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán and his Fidesz party eventually lost power after 16 years. The government had made a reputation in the European Union (EU) for its persistent efforts to role back democracy and rule of law in Hungary and to oppose EU policies. Even though Fidesz had successfully excluded opponents from power for 16 years and had restricted media freedom, the possibilities of civil society actors and the independence of academic institutions, it was eventually outvoted. The guest lecture addresses this shift in power and asks: How can an entrenched populist incumbent be electorally displaced?

Robert Csehi explores three processes that can make political turnover possible: accumulated incumbent responsibility, electoral availability, and challenger conversion. Focusing on Hungary from 2022 to 2026, Csehi examines how post-2022 economic strain, deteriorating public service evaluations, and increasingly salient perceptions of corruption weakened Fidesz’s resilience. At the same time, Tisza absorbed former opposition voters, attracted previous Fidesz supporters, and mobilized non-voters, translating electoral momentum into territorial organization and a distinctive political discourse.

Dr. Robert Csehi is Associate Professor at Corvinus University of Budapest where he also is the head of the political science department. His research focuses on European integration, EU economic governance, Euroscepticism, populism and the political conflict in East-Central Europe.

Target audience: Students, employees from academia, administrative staff, interested members of the public