According to Freedom House, the country’s score has deteriorated more than any other country in Eastern Europe except Russia.
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Posted on 5/24/2023 7:11 AM Updated on 5/24/2023 7:11 AM
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Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán during a Mass celebrated by Pope Francis in Budapest (Hungary) on April 30, 2023. (VINCENZO PINTO / AFP)
Democracy in Hungary under Prime Minister Viktor Orbán continued to deteriorate over the past year, according to a US report on the state of democracy in Eastern European countries released on Wednesday (May 24). In its annual report, Freedom House, a US government-funded but independently run research organization, notes that the country’s score has deteriorated more than any other country in Eastern Europe, with the exception of Russia.
According to Freedom House, Hungary is 43% democratic, up from 45% last year, while Poland is stable at 59%. Vladimir Putin’s Russia went from 5% Democratic to 2%. According to the report, Estonia gets the highest score with 83% democratic, closely followed by Latvia, Slovenia, Lithuania and the Czech Republic.
Since his return to power in 2010, the Hungarian nationalist leader has gradually enforced the separation of powers, be it in the media or in the judiciary, and has been regularly criticized by the European Union. In particular, the report denounced the course of the last parliamentary elections, which were marked by “irregularities, abuse of administrative resources and media distortions” and “the Orbán regime’s growing intolerance towards dissidents”. The report contrasts with Poland, noting the ruling party’s “contempt for liberal democracy” but praising the massive intake of Ukrainians fleeing the Russian-provoked war.
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