Westerners, used to thinking about liberal democracy as a package deal, rarely stop to consider the ways in which the two components can work against each other. Liberalism has to do with the protection of rights and liberties for all members of a society. Democracy has to do with rule by the people, whether directly or through representative elections. But what if a population uses democratic processes to empower an illiberal regime?
On Sunday, the Hungarian people voted in a landslide to give Prime Minister Viktor Orbán his fourth term since 2010. Current tabulations give parties allied with the incumbent leader a vote share above 53 percent, an outright majority.
