The significance of the Hungarian elections extends far beyond the country’s borders. Orbán has become a central figure among international authoritarian, nationalist rightwing leaders. He articulated the concept of the “illiberal state”, laying out as early as 2014 an autocratic system grounded in aggressively nationalist and socially conservative principles within a coherent ideological framework. More importantly for his followers, he has sought to demonstrate that such a model can, in fact, be put into practice. During his 16 years in power, Orbán has systematically dismantled the central pillars of liberal democracy, from an independent judiciary to a free press. In 2022, the European Parliament declared that Hungary could no longer be considered a full democracy, describing the country instead as an “electoral autocracy”.