What Orban's loss means for far right movements around the world

Key Points:

• Viktor Orban, Hungary's longtime prime minister and a key figure in the global far-right movement, was recently defeated in elections, raising questions about the future of his political influence and ideology.
• Orban has been a model for far-right leaders worldwide, turning inclusive democracies into electoral autocracies and creating a network of think tanks that connect far-right actors across countries.
• His influence extends to the U.S., where ideas and tactics from Orban's Hungary, such as hardline migration policies and anti-LGBTQ stances, have been adopted by figures associated with the Trump administration.
• Orban used fear-based politics, including promoting the extremist "replacement theory," to gain support, a strategy mirrored by Trump in the U.S., contributing to the mainstreaming of this conspiracy theory.
• Orban’s electoral loss was driven by economic issues and corruption, but the new Hungarian government remains conservative, highlighting a broader Western political shift from progressive versus conservative divides to a contest between the middle and the far right.