"Sunday’s vote may well be one of the most important elections in the history of postcommunist Europe. It will test the longevity of a regime that has deviated from principles of democracy and the rule of law that were vindicated by the peaceful revolutions of 1989 and later secured by the European Union, which incorporated Hungary as part of its eastward expansion in 2004."
~ Isaac Stanley-Becker
"Viktor Orbán, the prime minister of Hungary, is a central figure in the international far right, and indeed the man, more than any other, who created the networks that normalized what he himself calls 'illiberalism.' Should he lose, as all signs indicate he will, this would be blow to far more familiar figures such as JD Vance and Donald Trump, who are Orbán’s pupils."
~ Timothy Snyder
"It’s not a big place, but it’s symbolic. It is a role model for right-wing authoritarians everywhere. It still formally has the institutions of democracy, but has for the past 16 years been a one party state — ruled by a right-wing authoritarian ethno-nationalist regime that enforces its will partly by rigging elections, partly through an extensive system of crony capitalism that rewards its friends and punishes its enemies."
~ Paull Krugman
https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/delusions-of-grandeur-hungary-edition
Trump really doesn't understand America's role in the world
"In other words, it’s a MAGA kind of place. It’s what they would like to do to the United States, although with less sophistication and more brutality.
Donald Trump has been frantically trying to keep Viktor Orban in power, largely in ways that demonstrate that he really doesn’t understand how the world views him. Sending JD Vance to campaign for Orban is not helpful to Orban. It’s a boost to the opposition."
"It’s a boost to the opposition. Spewing frantically on Truth Social about how important it is that Orban win is, again, a gift to the Hungarian opposition."
"Tomorrow Hungary votes.
If Orbán falls — and the polls suggest he may — the same weekend Vance was supposed to be holding the illiberal international together in Budapest, the [negotiating] table in Islamabad gets harder to hold. The 'strongmen love me' narrative requires the strongmen to remain strong. The model has to work."
~ Mike Brock
Simon Rosenberg shares a photo of the anti-Orbán rally Friday night in Budapest.
#Hungary #Orbán #Trump #Vance #authoritarianism
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https://www.hopiumchronicles.com/p/hungary-votes-tomorrow-understanding
William Lindsey 
Vee