Great @financialtimes.com interview of @veghzsuzsanna.bsky.social by @gideonrachman.bsky.social about the Hungarian elections. www.ft.com/content/7309...

excellent piece by the remarkable David Baer who has deep knowledge of Hungary - and brings the receipts.

FWIW, both Senators are members of the U.S. Helsinki Commission, the body that engages on OSCE matters for Congress. Since 2013, when Ukraine held the 1-yr rotating OSCE chair, Hungary has used every OSCE ministerial to parrot and amplify Russian positions. www.foreign.senate.gov/press/dem/re...

As testimony to @szabolcspanyi.bsky.social ’s effectiveness as an investigative reporter, Orban is going all out to prevent him from doing his job before the April 12 elections. Now’s a great time to catch up on his reports. Read them. Read them all.

Orban’s Chief of Staff Gergely Gulyás has announced an espionage investigation into investigative journalist @szabolcspanyi.bsky.social, whose unimpeachable reporting has repeatedly revealed information damaging to Orban’s regime. This will be to the everlasting shame of Gulyás.

Gergely Gulyás, Orbán’s chief of staff, announced that the Hungarian government will file charges against Szabolcs Panyi for espionage – outrageous accusations against an investigative journalist who has been working on uncovering Fidesz's ties to Russia and Russian influence in 🇭🇺 politics.

Concerns over Tomio Okamura are shared by many, not least the 250K protestors that took to the streets to defend Czech democracy. Former politician & renowned economist, Ivan Pilip said “In my view, his nomination is the worst event since 1989. He is a hateful racist…” www.errc.org/news/huge-cr...

Plus, a Romani teacher in Pecs faces up to a year in prison for his role in organizing a Pride Parade. His case has been suspended, pending Con Ct review, but not dismissed. www.errc.org/news/romani-...

Election expert Roland Ferkovics on Romani voters and Romani representation in the Hungarian elections. Roma are the largest minority in Hungary, roughly 800,000+ people. romea.cz/en/world/rol...

Something I wonder about regarding the undecided: 1) Women are slightly overrepresented. 2) Orbán traditionally performs stronger among women. 3) Tisza is less popular among female voters than male voters. Who will be better able to mobilise them? 12/

Dear reader, if you do not know who Matt Schlapp is, please look him up. If you are Orban, a man whose government is facing the consequences of a very particular scandal and simultaneously looking for endorsements, Schlapp is an interesting choice.

Explaining the poor turn out from the U.S. Congress, Matt Schlapp said in Budapest: “We only invite the best congressmen. So, the reason why there’s not a lot of congressmen here is because, unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of great members.” “There aren’t a lot of great members.”

The “ethnic lists” (“minority self-government” system) are not that consequential for the 4/12 elections, but someday it will be worth re-visiting how a system supported across the pol.spectrum in HU & sincerely designed to enhance minority representation turned out to be an unmitigated failure.

I concur. Excellent, easy to understand as explained here, especially winner/loser compensation.

+ A detail not to be missed: The 7 captured Ukrainians were given a *Russian* speaking interpreter, not a Ukrainian speaking interpreter . . .

+ A detail not to be missed: The 7 captured Ukrainians were given a *Russian* speaking interpreter, not a Ukrainian speaking interpreter . . .

Injecting a captured Ukrainian with unknown drugs deviates from Orban’s redline against unvarnished political violence and a sign that he is willing to go much further than he has before in order to stay in power. It is also likely a violation of the Convention Against Torture.

With the prospect of Orban loosing the elections, it is worth looking critically at the 8 yrs when he was last in opposition. There was more to the civil unrest that stretched over several months in 2006 than anti-government demonstrations than “spontaneity.” www.politico.eu/article/hung...

Under Orban, Hungarian churches are more beholden to the state than at any time since communism. Great to read A. Faludy’s take on the place of religion in the country’s forthcoming election. www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/202...

#Hungary’s April 2026 election may become one of the most consequential political contests in Europe this year - not only for Hungary, but for the EU and Ukraine. In my new @iep-berlin.de #Wahlmonitor paper, I outline five scenarios Europe should be prepared for. 🧵

Alexander Faludy om religiös symbolik och kyrkornas roll i ungerska valkampanjen. (Detta kanske kan intressera @joelhalldorf.bsky.social en smula.)

We’re proud to officially launch the website of the 14th Amendment Center for Law & Democracy. A new space for scholarship, education, and public engagement on citizenship, equality, and constitutional democracy. Explore more at: 14thamendmentctr.org

Clearly the best thing I will see all day.

We've found Péter Magyar, who shares name with the leader of the #Hungarian opposition. This Magyar runs as an independent candidate, but is a Fidesz supporter. This is not the first time that the Russian method of 'doppelgangers' is used in Hungary 444.hu/2026/03/12/v...

Thanks!

Unsurprising but very pronounced demographic splits in Hungary election poll: - Among 18–29 year olds, Tisza leads Fidesz by 67% to 8% (!); among 65+, Fidesz leads 48%-26% - Among university grads, Tisza leads 63%-13%, but Fidesz leads among lowest education groups - Cities/towns vs villages

Outstanding reporting from @atlatszo.hu on the unanswered questions regarding these bombings in Hungary (1998, 2006). Also, I am asking, once again, why then-President Novak pardoned a convicted terrorist? bsky.app/profile/atla...

Ethnic Hungarians (who may vote in Hungary's April elections) & ethnic Slovak’s in Serbia’s Vojvodina region. Excellent reporting from Tamara Kanuchova, Nevena Vracar and Patrik Galavits, via @balkaninsight.com.web.brid.gy balkaninsight.com/2026/03/06/c... 1/…

Polish far-right leader Grzegorz Braun visited the Iranian embassy to sign a book of condolence for Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, who was killed in the US and Israeli attacks. Braun condemned the "shameful and cowardly murder" and expressed solidarity with Iran.

"According to Oschadbank’s estimates, the convoy was carrying approximately $40 million, €35 million, and about nine kilograms of gold at the time of the detention."

"Police officers and prosecutor who investigated PM Fico’s allies just got arrested"

“National Minority Self-Government” system.

“Would you want us to lay down in a deep trench and bury ourselves?” Bold question from DK party chair Klára Dobrev . . .

This will be good. courtesy of @visegradinsight.bsky.social visegradinsight.eu/online-event...

I would be interested to know if opinion polls reveal any differences between the voting preferences of men and women for the upcoming Hungarian elections.

I, my research focus and all my half-baked thoughts on the connection between the far right, anti-gender mobilisation and social policies feel seen and validated

Mr Orbán's patronage of Western academics and influectuals is striking in how cheap it is compared to the rest of his project of cross-border clientelism, not to mention Fidesz's domestic clientelism. Value for money in neopatrimonialism and autocratization.

Join us in Regensburg or online on Feb 27 (Friday)! I'll talk about Fidesz's allience building in Europe, but we will also cover its transatlantic networking and influence in the Western Balkans. Details: sogde.org/de/events/sy...

Then-Sen. Rubio to Pres. Trump in 2019: concern about the downward democratic trajectory in Hungary, erosion of democracy and rule of law, close relationship between Hungary and Moscow, etc. www.foreign.senate.gov/imo/media/do...

Then-Sen. Rubio to Pres. Trump in 2019: concern about the downward democratic trajectory in Hungary, erosion of democracy and rule of law, close relationship between Hungary and Moscow, etc. www.foreign.senate.gov/imo/media/do...

"For more than 15 years, the Fidesz-led government has funnelled an estimated €2.3 billion into football infrastructure, according to an investigation conducted by Hungarian business news outlet G7." €2.3 billion.

👉 Italian court makes first-ever asylum award to a citizen of a fellow EU Member State over human rights violations 🔗 Link to the article: 1url.cz/@itali-en-ro...

With Hungary’s elections only 2 months away, let’s look at what the opposition promises when it comes to the EU, rule of law & Hungary’s alliances. Media coverage highlighted euro adoption and independence from RU energy by 2035 but there's much more in the program www.reuters.com/business/hun...

👀 Bosnian politicians and experts slammed the opening an office of Hungary’s Counter-Terrorism Center (TEK) near Banja Luka, calling it unconstitutional and set up without federal approval. Officials demand investigations into the move.

As North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis previously said, “Vladimir Putin is a war criminal who uses Russia’s energy exports to fund his campaign of murder and aggression.” www.foreign.senate.gov/press/dem/re...

💥Viktor Orbán’s campaign is under heavy strain after his rumored heir, minister János Lázár, made offensive remarks about Roma people—and, when a group of Roma protested, claimed they were “criminals.” A fresh poll finds that 55% of Hungarians and even 21% of Orbán supporters want Lázár to resign.

Worth noting as this may be the 1st time the activation of Art 7(1) in respect of Hungary has led a court in another EUMS to find the asylum application of a 🇭🇺 citizen admissible on account of Protocol no 24, point (b) before granting the application @tinekestrik.bsky.social @petrabard.bsky.social

Prosecutors seeking "summary judgment without a trial." "In the lead-up to Budapest Pride, government officials had warned that organisers could face up to a year in prison."

🖕Two district prosecutors have brought charges against the mayor of Budapest for holding Budapest Pride in June. Gergely Karácsony could face a fine. “I have gone from being a proud suspect to a proud defendant," he wrote in response to the prosecutors’ statement 🏳️‍🌈

Another Fidesz self-own: Janus Lazar attacks Hungarian identity of Tisza candidate because she got Hungarian citizenship under flagship Fidesz citizenship law. These mistakes are really starting to add up. telex.hu/belfold/2025...