Some elections are more important than others. Since taking office in May, Hungary’s new prime minister, Péter Magyar, has embarked upon the country’s most far-reaching and dramatic programme of transformation since the fall of communism in 1989. Mr Magyar’s predecessor, Viktor Orbán, established a soft autocracy which thrived on corruption and, over 16 years, exerted its grip on most areas of Hungarian life, from religion to culture and the media. It is being dismantled at extraordinary pace.
Last week, a newly appointed president took office following the sacking of Tamás Sulyok, accused by Mr Magyar of having rubber-stamped the erosion of the rule of law in the country. In stark contrast, András Baka is a former president of Hungary’s supreme court, a role he was removed from by the Orbán regime in an action judged unlawful by the European court of human rights.
