Neither episodic, nor destined to failure? The endurance of Hungarian populism after 2010

Bibliographic Data

ID6253639
AuthorsRobert Csehi (0000-0003-0888-1554, Hochschule für Politik München, Technische Universität München, München, Germany, corresponding author)
Year2019
Volume26
Issue6
Pages1011-1027
Publication date2019-08-18
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueDemocratization (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1351-0347 • E-ISSN: 1743-890X
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/13510347.2019.1590814
OpenAlexW2923823547
LanguageEN
Citations received25
References cited38

How can populists potentially extend their time in power? Departing from the notion that populism is a "thin-centered" ideology, the article argues that as long as populists manage to continuously (a) reconstruct "the elite" and "the people," (b) reinforce the antagonistic relationship between "the corrupt elite" and "the pure people," and (c) remodel popular sovereignty, it is likely that they can lengthen the life expectancy of their regime. Analyzing the case of Hungary starting in 2010, the article demonstrates that Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán was successful with respect to this "three-course approach." He managed to reconstruct "the elite" from "representatives of the past" to a "homo sorosensus," and widened the scope of "the people" from "we, Hungarians" to "we, the sovereign nations." Similarly, Orbán renewed the conflict between the ever changing elite and "the people," turning from economic-driven to identity politics. Finally, Orbán reinvented a toolkit of new, innovative measures that reflected a preference for greater popular sovereignty. The article builds on an analysis of Orbán's selected speeches and corresponding political and legal measures initiated by the regime that formed an integrative part of the "three-course approach" in Hungary

Aesthetics · Demise · Elite · Identity (music · Ideology · Law and economics · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Populism · Power (physics · Sociology · Sovereignty · German legal, social, and political studies · Law · Populism, Right-Wing Movements · Turkey's Politics and Society