On April 3rd, Victor Orban won the election and confirmed his fourth consecutive term in office. Orban is a member of Fidesz, a right-wing populist and national-conservative Hungarian political party. Orban is known for being a longtime ally of Russia and governs in an authoritarian manner. As mentioned by The Washington Post, some election observers have accused Fisdez of election fraud. However, Orban did have significant civil support due to the market economics, nationalist, and social conservative approach of his rule that many Hungarians favor, substantiating his electoral victory. 

The timing of Orban’s victory sheds a bitterness across Europe. As the war crimes and terrible atrocities from the war in Ukraine are being made public, Orban is facing global scrutiny as one of Putin’s closest allies and how his re-election was fueled by the current war in Ukraine. Orban gained public support by affirming that he would keep Hungary out of the war and that his nation would benefit from the oil supply from Putin’s Russia. Oil is a vital resource, and Putin dictates its supply for many European countries.

The West hoped that the six-party opposition coalition, led by Marki-Zay, would have won, especially amidst rising Russian aggression, according to The Guardian. 

The authoritarian nature of Orban’s rule includes tight control of Hungary’s judiciary, media, and education institutions. Hungary’s dictatorship grew ever so subtly so as to not provoke civilian or international backlash. 

In Hungary, we are currently faced with a post-modern autocracy causing an increase in concerns from the European Union. 

Many have raised complaints regarding the inequity of the political playing field, specifically for Orban’s opponents. In March, as CNN highlighted, Europe’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE) advocated for an international monitoring operation of the upcoming elections due to a common understanding of election tampering present in Hungary. However, the victory Orban received on Sunday makes it extremely unlikely for Hungary to revert from its collision course with Brussels leadership. 

Orban has maintained his rule in direct opposition to Western liberal values, and the results of this election only further enforce this. Orban claims his victory and illiberal conservatism represent the future of Europe. This provides a direct challenge to the rest of the EU and the values their democratic regimes maintain and protect. 

The increasing isolation of Hungary in the EU creates an opportunity for pressure to be placed on Orban. Given how close Hungary is to the West as it is in Europe, they have significant linkage to Western affairs that Western countries can use as leverage over the political affairs in Hungary. Whether this comes in the form of economic sanctions or increased election monitoring, increased pressure from the West could help deter the political path Hungary currently finds itself on.