For 16 years, Viktor Orbán exerted an iron grip on Hungarian politics and society. Now it’s being dismantled. Has Hungary finally turned a page on the Orbán era, or could he make one final return?
It’s only a few days before Péter Magyar’s government, which succeeded Orbán, learns whether his anti-corruption reforms have done enough to persuade the European Commission to release €10.4 billion of frozen funds to help the country recover after the Covid pandemic. The money was withheld over breaches of EU law under Orbán, who suffered a landslide defeat at the polls in April.
Host Anne McElvoy talks to János Bóka, who now leads Orbán’s Fidesz party from the opposition benches in the Hungarian Parliament. He was minister for European affairs in the previous government and is seen as a relatively moderate voice tasked with rebuilding a party reeling from defeat. Does he want to cast off an ousted strongman’s shadow – might Orban still be seeking to find a way back?