Viktor Orbán

Just days after this diplomatic tit-for-tat between the EU and China, the Hungarian government played host to a senior visitor from Beijing: China's defence minister. Wei Fenghe used his visit as an opportunity to condemn the EU sanctions while praising Hungary's conciliatory approach, claiming that China "has always regarded Hungary as a good brother".

Health expert Gabriella Lantos wrote in an op-ed that it is time to call Viktor Orban to account for what is happening in Hungary. The prime minister famously said in September that all lives matter and the success of tackling the pandemic would be measured in lives lost. The day he spoke, on September 12, two people died of COVID-19.

The onslaught began immediately after the 2010 general election, when Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his right-wing Fidesz party returned to power. The government immediately adopted a raft of laws imposing new restrictions on media outlets, and established the loyalist-staffed Media Council to enforce them.

Brussels – A European Parliament policy department service compiled an in-depth document on the situation in Slovenia in preparation for Friday’s session of the Democracy, Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights Monitoring Group. The document, which is for internal use only, also details Prime Minister Janez Janša’s attacks on media.

Victor Orban's party Fidesz is kicked out from the European People's Party (EPP), the centre-right political bloc in the European Parliament, today.

"The governing body of Fidesz has decided to leave the EPP Group immediately," Prime Minister Viktor Orban wrote in a letter to Manfred Weber, chairman of the EPP Group in the European Parliament. "The amendments to the rules of the EPP Group are clearly a hostile move against Fidesz and our voters."

Although national income indeed grew significantly after 2013 (on average around 4 per cent per year until the pandemic), the overall performance of the economy proved to be much bleaker than depicted on the government posters, even before the current crisis.

A woman holds a Klubradio banner as thousands of people demonstrate in support of the Hungarian independent radio station in Budapest, Hungary, 22 January 2012. EPA/JANOA MARJAI

With Joe Biden set to replace Donald Trump in the White House in little over a week, Orban's most powerful political soulmate will be removed from the international chess board, taking with him the hope that a populist-rightist alliance could triumph globally over liberal forces.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Thursday that the European Union is on the brink of sealing an agreement on a massive budget and a coronavirus recovery package, signaling that it has almost overcome objections from his country and Poland about tying EU funds to upholding the rule of law.