FORUM 2000-“Viktor Orbán: An international model for ‘authoritarian populism’?”
On September 29, 2022, an interview by Ms. Sascha Hannig Nunez, assistant at GGR, with the director of the Political Capital Institute, Mr. Peter Kreko, was released on the Forum 2000 website. The Forum 2000 is a foundation that pursues the legacy of the late Czech president, Vaclav Havel, by supporting the values of democracy and human rights. It holds an annual conference in Prague each year, along with a multitude of other events such as online chats and festivals to promote democracy. Ms. Hannig served as an interviewer on one of the online chats and discussed with Mr. Kreko the current leader of Hungary, Victor Orban, and the concept of informational democracy. Mr. Kreko talked about the impact that the Hungarian leader has had on other illiberal governments and how he has gained the support of the people who have not benefited from the regime, such as the destitute or impoverished. Moreover, he distinguished Victor Orban from the famous populist and former US president, Donald Trump, and stated that, as the Russo-Ukrainian War prolongs, it gives more room for people like Orban, Trump, and other Western populists to gain attention and promote a sense of nationalism that puts the protection of their own people first.
