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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
This research work examines how a populist government can dismantle democratic
institutions. In theory, populists create a narrative of giving the power back to the people,
however, in practice, populist leaders use this façade in order to centralize the ruling
power. We analyse the government of Viktor Orbán in Hungary as it is a working model
of contemporary populism in power. Over the last decade, Orbán has repressed
democratic freedoms, the independent media and has taken significant control over the
legislative and judiciary. The Hungarian prime minister keeps his democratic legitimacy
based on the existence of regular elections. However, this thesis argues that a democratic
system requires more than the condition of elections. Therefore, after the authoritarian
steps that Orbán’s government has taken since 2010, Hungary has taken a seismic shift
away from a democratic system.