BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 CALSCALE:GREGORIAN PRODID:adamgibbons/ics METHOD:PUBLISH X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20519@offbeat.amsterdam SUMMARY:Hungarian Elections: What Do They Mean for Europe and the Netherlan ds? DTSTAMP:20260407T201048Z DTSTART:20260416T180000Z DESCRIPTION:Just four days after the Hungarian elections\, we take stock of what the election\nresults could mean for Europe\, and the Netherlands. T hese are among the most\nclosely watched elections of the year\, with wide spread attention on how\nHungarians vote and whether the elections are fre e and fair. What does the\noutcome mean for Europe and the Netherlands?\n\ nOver the past sixteen years\, Hungary has transitioned into what is often \ndescribed as an “electoral autocracy” under Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his\nFidesz party\, characterized by democratic backsliding: the syste matic and\nostensibly “legal” dismantling of institutional checks and bala nces.\n\nThis process has been achieved through three main mechanisms: ele ctoral\nengineering\, media control\, and legislative capture.\n\nElection s continue to take place but are increasingly unfair\, heavily favouring\n the ruling Fidesz party. Since 2010\, Fidesz has consolidated power throug h media\ncapture\, systemic gerrymandering\, and changes to electoral laws \, while formally\nmaintaining electoral legitimacy.\n\nThe Hungarian elec tions is considered a watershed moment for the country’s\ndemocratic traje ctory. For the first time in sixteen years\, Prime Minister\nViktor Orbán faces a significant challenge from Péter Magyar’s TISZA party\,\npresentin g a critical choice between continued autocratisation and potential\ndemoc ratic renewal.\n\nThe outcome is likely to have far-reaching implications beyond Hungary.It\n[http://Hungary.It] may infleunce the European Union’s geopolitical unity\, its\nresponse to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine\ , its internal adherence to the\nrule of law\, and the broader development of right-wing populism across the\ncontinent.\n\nIn this event\, we aim t o disentangle the immediate and long-term implications of\nthe outcome and reflect on its potential impact beyond Hungary’s borders.\n\n\nSPEAKERS\n \nCarolien van Ham is Professor of Empirical Political Science at Radboud\ nUniversity Nijmegen. Her research focuses on democratisation and\nautocra tisation\, legitimacy and democratic erosion\, and electoral integrity and \nelectoral fraud.\n\nTheresa Kuhn is Full Professor at the Capacity group European Studies\,\nUniversity of Amsterdam and academic director of the Amsterdam Center of\nEuropean Studies (ACES). Using survey research and ex perimental methods\, she\nstudies how citizens react to globalization and European integration in their\npolitical attitudes and collective identiti es.\n\nZsuzsanna Végh is a program officer at the German Marshall Fund of the United\nStates. Her analytical focus is on Central and Eastern Europe\ , especially the\nforeign and EU policies of the Visegrád countries\, the state of democracy\, and\nthe role and impact of the populist radical righ t in the region.\n\nMark Duursma is journalist at NRC Handelsblad\, foreig n affairs editor\, covering\nCentral and Eastern Europe and Germany.\n\nKa ti Cseres (moderator) is an Associate Professor of Law at the Amsterdam Ce ntre\nfor European Law and Governance (ACELG) and Theme leader ‘The Future of European\nDemocracy’ of the Amsterdam Centre for European Studies (ACE S). Her research\nfocuses on EU economic law as a tool at the intersection of markets\, law\, and\ndemocracy\, examining its constitutional signific ance and limits at both EU and\nnational levels. URL:https://offbeat.amsterdam/event/hungarian-elections-what-do-they-mean-f or-europe-and-the-netherlands GEO:52.3685931;4.8896879 LOCATION:SPUI25 - Spui 25-27\, 1012 WX Amsterdam STATUS:CONFIRMED CATEGORIES:amsterdam-centrum,democracy,experimental,party,spui X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:

Just four days after the Hungarian election s, we take stock of what the election results could mean for Europe, and t he Netherlands. These are among the most closely watched elections of the year, with widespread attention on how Hungarians vote and whether the ele ctions are free and fair. What does the outcome mean for Europe and the Ne therlands?

Over the past sixteen years, Hungary has transitioned into what is often described as an “electoral autocracy” under Prime Minis ter Viktor Orbán and his Fidesz party, characterized by democratic backsli ding: the systematic and ostensibly “legal” dismantling of institutional c hecks and balances.

This process has been achieved through three m ain mechanisms: electoral engineering, media control, and legislative capt ure.

Elections continue to take place but are increasingly unfair, heavily favouring the ruling Fidesz party. Since 2010, Fidesz has consoli dated power through media capture, systemic gerrymandering, and changes to electoral laws, while formally maintaining electoral legitimacy.

The Hungarian elections is considered a watershed moment for the country’s democratic trajectory. For the first time in sixteen years, Prime Ministe r Viktor Orbán faces a significant challenge from Péter Magyar’s TISZA par ty, presenting a critical choice between continued autocratisation and pot ential democratic renewal.

The outcome is likely to have far-reach ing implications beyond Hungar y.It may infleunce the European Union’s geopolitical unity, its respon se to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, its internal adherence to the r ule of law, and the broader development of right-wing populism across the continent.

In this event, we aim to disentangle the immediate and long-term implications of the outcome and reflect on its potential impact beyond Hungary’s borders.

Speakers

< strong>Carolien van Ham is Professor of Empirical Political Science at Radboud University Nijmegen. Her research focuses on democratis ation and autocratisation, legitimacy and democratic erosion, and electora l integrity and electoral fraud.

Theresa Kuhn is Full Professor at the Capacity group European Studies, University of Amsterdam and academic director of the Amsterdam Center of European St udies (ACES). Using survey research and experimental methods, she studies how citizens react to globalization and European integration in their poli tical attitudes and collective identities.

Zsuzsanna Végh is a program officer at the German Marshall Fund of the United States. Her analytical focus is on Central and Eastern Europe, esp ecially the foreign and EU policies of the Visegrád countries, the state o f democracy, and the role and impact of the populist radical right in the region.

Mark Duursma is journalist at NRC Handelsblad, foreign affairs editor, covering Central and Easte rn Europe and Germany.

Kati Cseres (mode rator) is an Associate Professor of Law at the Amsterdam Centre for Europe an Law and Governance (ACELG) and Theme leader ‘The Future of European Dem ocracy’ of the Amsterdam Centre for European Studies (ACES). Her research focuses on EU economic law as a tool at the intersection of markets, law, and democracy, examining its constitutional significance and limits at bot h EU and national levels.

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