Viktor Orban Is Just Getting Started

Hungary’s leader used fearmongering propaganda to win. As he entrenches his power, the country’s democratic backsliding will get even worse. “Thinking can never quite catch up with reality; reality is always richer than our comprehension,” reads a quote by the philanthropist and financier George Soros posted next to the entrance of Budapest’s Central European University. “But we must remember the unintended consequences — the outcome always differs from expectations.” This has been doubly true in Hungary in the past few weeks. Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his Fidesz party — having received a two-thirds majority in two successive elections — seemed on track for a third a few months before the elections. The opposition was weak and divided, and talk about Fidesz “agents” in their ranks further demoralized already disillusioned opposition ...