Gyorffy, DoraCarvalheiro, Sofia Ferreira Vasques2021-06-072021-06-072021-04-232020http://hdl.handle.net/10400.14/33459This 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.engmaster thesis202720454