Why Less Viktor Orbán Is Good for Democracy

Viktor Orbán’s defeat in Sunday’s Hungarian elections is an enormous victory for the democratic cause. The Hungarian prime minister and self-declared champion of “illiberal democracy” had become a poster boy for antidemocratic movements. The opposition, led by Péter Magyar, did more than pull off the most stunning election upset in the country’s history. It also may have offered a playbook for how to defeat other illiberal leaders across the globe.

Read Sandor Esik on the political strategy that ousted Orbán as well as our other coverage of the most consequential European election of 2026. And stick around for more of our essays from the new issue of the Journal of Democracy.

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