Let's cook populism! A recipe from Hungary

The presentation was the keynote speech of the Weizenbaum Institute's workshop Understanding Demecracy and Illiberal Communication. It shows what lessons from the Hungarian illiberal transformation are useful or threatening for other countries, and what lessons are unique to the Hungarian system.

1. Let's cook populism! A recipe from Hungary Prof. Gábor Polyák Eötvös Loránd University Mérték Media Monitor

2. Usefulness and limitations of the Hungarian example

3. A mature illiberal regime Ideological flexibility Total politicization of the legal and administrative institutions Political dependence of the vast majority of the economy Elimination of the autonomy of culture and education Dominating public discourse , anti-pluralism Complete polarisation from above Let's safeguard Hungary's peace and security! (2022)

4. Unique initial conditions

5. The complexity of illiberal transformation

6. Structural censorship ... against all forms of autonomy Distortion of the operating conditions Indirect influence on content Only private autonomies remain (a particular classroom, editorial office, creative community , brave mayor )

7. Adapting propaganda to the changing communication environment

8. Credibility bubbles

9. Sovereignty Protection Act The Office for the Defence of Sovereignty a) detect and investigate activities carried out in the interest of another State or a foreign organisation or person - activities of interest representation, - information manipulation and disinformation activities, - activities aimed at influencing democratic debate and the state and society's decision-making processes if they may infringe or threaten the sovereignty of Hungary; b) identify and investigate organisations whose activities using foreign funding may influence the outcome of elections; c) identify and investigate organisations that use foreign funding to influence or support activities aimed at influencing the will of voters .

10. Illiberal regime in the European Union The EU is the only counterweight to the Orbán regime's power The Orbán regime would not have been built without EU financial support The EU has been slow to react to the erosion of Hungarian democracy Slow handling of individual infringements Requiring formal compliance Fidesz was a member of the EPP until 2021 Enforcement of conditionality mechanism only after 2022 parliamentary elections Conditionality mechanism does not address media freedom The European Media Freedom Act has learned from the Hungarian media situation, but does not improve it

11. Strategies of resistance

12. Thank you for attention!