HUNGARY’S RULING PARTY PUSHES RADICAL CONSERVATIVE COLLECTIVISM

September 19, 2013 | by Attila Juhasz

After eight years of controversial socialist rule, the people of Hungary had great hopes three years ago when a self-proclaimed conservative, or limited-government, party came to power with a two-thirds majority. It turns out, however, that the ruling party, Fidesz, and its leader, Viktor Orban, favor bigger government than did their predecessors. Fidesz is the only party that has managed to build an agenda on the people’s contradictory expectations. Since the transition of 1990, Hungarians have increasingly demanded paternalist policies.