Viktor Orbán and His Reign Over Hungary

Alyson Treis

Hungary's Government

Hungary is a parliamentary representative democratic republic, run by the prime minister Viktor Orban. In 2020, the Hungarian parliament voted 2/3rds in favor of Viktor Orban ruling by decree, giving him the power to change laws without the approval of legislation. This is currently Orban’s 4 th  term making him the longest reigning EU leader. He uses state power to his advantage allowing him to be so successful. (Than, 2021)

Hungary Election Map 2022

The Election of 2022

  • Viktor Orban’s campaign in the 2022 election circulated around “traditional” Hungarian values and anti-LGBT propaganda. He based many of his campaign tactics on a strong anti-immigration line and anti-identity politics.
  • At the time inflation had been rising for the past 14 years reaching its height of 7.4%. He used this promise of lowering inflation with the promise to bring light to and advocating for anti-LGBT propaganda.
  • The phantasm is a “psychosocial phenomenon…where intimate fears and anxieties become socially organized to incite political passions” (Butler, pg9)

Orban uses Judith Butler's definition of the "gender phantasm" to evoke fear in people convincing them to vote for him. He establishes himself in a strong Hungarian nationalism and claims to "defend the country" at any cost.

"What is the basic principle of democracy? In the end, it is loyalty to the nation. We Central Europeans know from historical experience that sooner or later, we will lose our freedom if we do not represent the interests of our citizens." - Viktor Orban

In many of his campaigns and speeches he uses this argument of loyalty to the nation perpetuating this Hungarian nationalism and right wing populism. In and article by Nur Sinem KOUROU they define populism as "an ideology that considers society to be ultimately separated into two homogeneous groups ‘the pure people’ and ‘the corrupt elite’ and argues that politics should be an expression of the volunteer general (general will) of the people." (KOUROU, pg. 2). This seems to be a defining factor in most of Orban's campaigns. He uses gender ideology as a way to separate the "true" Hungarians from the "liberal western" ones.

"The whole world has seen tonight in Budapest that Christian democratic politics, conservative civic politics and patriotic politics have won. We are telling Europe that this is not the past, this is the future," - Viktor Orban after winning the 2022 election

Anti-Gender Rhetoric and the Role of Religion

  • The Hungarian parliament, specifically Viktor Orban had passed a law in June of 2021 “banning the use of materials seen as promoting homosexuality and gender change at schools, citing the need to protect children.” (Than, 2021).
  • Judith Butler touches upon how the Vatican promotes the idea that "children who learn the word "gay", will become gay" (Butler, pg.91)
  • Orban and the pope have a respectable relationship where these ideas are then able to infiltrate Hungarian policy.
  • Orban really embodied his campaign in gender politics fighting to save the “traditional family” in Hungary
  • His campaign places a huge emphasis on “protecting the children” and in 2019 he issued a policy that allowed Hungarian mothers with four or more children to be exempt from taxes in an attempt to try and increase the birth rate.
  • In an article from Bianca Vida, she states " the government not only continues to use women’s bodies as a resource for national development but also strengthens the xenophobic discourse of its anti-immigrant Islamophobic political agenda" (Vida, pg.15). The government has continually made policy after policy claiming to be "Protecting women and children" when in reality these pro-life and anti-LGBTQ bills being passed are causing much more harm and promoting Orban's anti-immigrant agenda.
  • In 2021 decided to make gender politics his enemy banning same sex marriage and same sex couples

Hungary to hold referendum on anti-LGBT law after EU legal action - BBC Newsnight

  • Hungary has a very long Christian history including a long battle with the Muslim religion.
  • While Hungary is a fairly Christian Country with the majority of the population being Catholic, there is still separation of church and state unlike some other European countries.
  • Orban uses his national identity as a steppingstone in his success politically, he began as a liberal activist
  • When his party lost in 2002 he shifted his political course and changed his public image to appeal to these nationalist ideals. He uses what he calls the dance of the peacock
    • Make progress with outrageous moves then when faced with resistance retreat on the flashy parts while keeping the important part.

Mobilization?

"According to the  2011  census 39% of the population declares to be Catholic, 11% belongs to the Protestant Reformed Church and 2.2% to the  Lutheran Church (18% does not belong to any religion; 27% didn’t answer)."(Kováts & Peto, 2017)

What differs in Hungary compared to other European countries is the mobilization of these campaigns though the Catholic church. Catholicism is much smaller in Hungary than in countries where that mobilization is very powerful. This makes the spread of this "campaign" very hard in Hungary and is one of the leading causes in why it hasn't fully mobilized in Hungary yet.

  • “anti-gender mobilizations are located in wider histories of colonialism, racial capitalism, and growing authoritarian nationalism” (Ojeda et al., pg.4)
  • Ojeda et al. points this out in an article stating that the mobilization of anti-gender campaigns are located in the broader history of the country usually. In Hungary much of the anti-gender rhetoric and policy that we are seeing is coming directly from the government, which means that there really isn't a need for much mobilization of these campaigns. These oppressive ideas have already reached the policy makers in Hungary, in return, making it very difficult to fight back against.

Why Can't He Be Stopped?

"There is nothing one can protest against – and the state of affairs with the current government, which nearly eliminated all NGOs that could be advocates for gender equality. The Orbán government is opposing any liberal agenda and it rejects any kind of gender equality mechanism at governmental level. For that reason, only a few weak and non-influential NGOs can be labelled representatives of “gender ideology”."(Kováts & Peto, 2017)

Orban as essentially shut down most NGO's that help to fight back against this gender and sexuality oppression.

In an article by Paternotte and Kuhar they explain how many anti-gender campaigns in Europe developed from policy debates that then grew over time, however in Hungary specifically it seems as though the emphasis on anti-gender came to be when Orban came into office. (Paternotte & Kuhar, 2018)

He has also sought endorsement from many other political leaders including leaders from the US.

Orban's ideas around anti-gender however are very contradictory. He many times claims that Hungary must protect itself from these western ideals and gender politics, but then models many of his policies off of America's.

Fighting Back

Although many of these anti-gender and anti-LGBTQ+ laws and policies seem overwhelming and very dreadful, Hungarians are fighting back. Budapest the countries capital hosts a pride parade every year where thousands of LGBTQ+ Hungarians and allies come to bring awareness to the cause. The importance of this parade is heavily emphasized because of the bans on LGBT media and promotion, along with same sex marriage.

The E.U also seems to be instigating a fight back for the LGBTQ+ community. Over the years they have urged Hungary, specifically Orban, not to pass certain bills or policies, but their efforts do not seem to be enough to counter Orban's reign.

References:

Butler, J. (2024b). Who’s afraid of gender? Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Čepo, D. (2018b). Roman Kuhar, David Paternotte (eds), anti-gender campaigns in Europe: Mobilizing against equality. Revija Za Sociologiju, 47(3), 361–364. https://doi.org/10.5613/rzs.47.3.5

Press, T. A. (2022, April 3). Hungary’s Viktor Orban claims a 4th term, extending his autocratic rule. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2022/04/03/1090488798/hungary-viktor-orban-election

YouTube. (2024). How Viktor Orban took over Hungary . YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHbvRpMSn7o

Hungary’s Orban Banking on anti-LGBT campaign in tough re-election bid | Reuters. (n.d.). https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/hungarys-orban-banks-anti-lgbt-campaign-tough-re-election-bid-2021-12-13/

Kováts & Peto, (2017) (PDF) anti-gender movements in Hungary. A discourse without a movement? (n.d.-b). https://www.researchgate.net/publication/350789452_Anti-Gender_Movements_in_Hungary_A_Discourse_without_a_movement

Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (2024, December 12). Cultural Institutions . Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/place/Hungary/Cultural-institutions

Beauchamp, Z. (2021, June 28). How hatred of gay people became a key plank in Hungary’s authoritarian turn. Vox. https://www.vox.com/22547228/hungary-orban-lgbt-law-pedophilia-authoritarian

KOUROU, N. S. (2020). RIGHT-WING POPULISM AND ANTI-GENDER MOVEMENTS: THE SAME COIN WITH DIFFERENT FACES. Global Political Trends Center (GPoT). http://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep25189

Vida, B. (2019). New waves of anti-sexual and reproductive health and rights strategies in the European Union: the anti-gender discourse in Hungary. Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters, 27(2), 13–16. https://www.jstor.org/stable/48617509

Ojeda, T., Holzberg, B., & Holvikivi, A. (2024). A transnational feminist approach to Anti-Gender Politics. Thinking Gender in Transnational Times, 1–32. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-54223-7_1

Hungary Election Map 2022