Hungary : Illiberal crisis management 1

The Hungarian government’s crisis management fits well the illiberal logic of the current regime. It was characterised by the strong leadership of Prime Minister (PM) Viktor Orban who personally controlled the first wave of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. His unquestionable leadership was further reinforced by a controversial law that provoked intense internal and international criticism. These criticisms were used by the pro-government camp to present the government and PM struggling to preserve the safety of a Hungarian people while under constant attack from liberal and global enemies of the regime. During the crisis, similar discursive strategies were used as is usual in Hungarian politics: the threat of immigration, the decline of the Western world and the European Union (EU), the adversarial role of George Soros, the Hungarian opposition, the media and the international liberal mainstream and the effectiveness of nation-states were recurring topics during the crisis. Overall, the country was less affected by the virus, and according to the polls, people positively evaluate the crisis management. © 2021 selection and editorial matter, Darren Lilleker, Ioana A. Coman, Milos Gregor and Edoardo Novelli.