In this conversation with RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó, Zsuzsanna Szelényi – author of the new book Tainted Democracy. Viktor Orbán and the Subversion of Hungary – analyzes the main characteristics of the Orbán regime and the techniques Hungary’s current rulers have employed to establish their dominance over the country’s economy; reflects on the dilemmas and strategies of the Hungarian opposition; examines the role of gendered practices in Hungarian politics; and discusses the reasons behind the sharp democratic reversal and decline of the early 21st century.
Zsuzsanna Szelényi is Program Director of the CEU Democracy Institute’s Leadership Academy. Before joining the Democracy Institute, Zsuzsanna Szelényi was Richard von Weizsäcker fellow at the Robert Bosch Academy in Berlin. A member of the Hungarian Parliament for two terms, she also served at the Council of Europe advising governments and NGOs and worked as a human development consultant for various international organizations.
Tainted Democracy. Viktor Orbán and the Subversion of Hungary is her first book. It is published by Hurst.
In collaboration with Lucie Hunter
