1. HUNGARY IN A CUL-DE-SAC

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Hungary today is at a dead end, in a cul-de-sac – politically, economically, and morally. The economy is stagnating under state burdens, unnecessary government interventions, and the additional uncertainties generated by those in power. Inflation is stubborn, and despite all incantations, it continues to erode the value of wages and pensions. The country has now fallen significantly behind others in the region. The quality of public services is deteriorating: healthcare, education, social welfare, and transport are all in free fall. Under the regime proclaimed as the System of National Cooperation (NER), after a decade and a half, millions struggle to make ends meet, while those favoured by the government have become unimaginably wealthy.

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It is the policies of the Orbán regime that have driven Hungary into this dead end. The government has abused its two-thirds majority in parliament, has by now effectively removed itself from meaningful oversight, and uses public funds to enrich a select few. Wherever possible, it eliminates market competition. Success and business advancement depend not on performance, but on personal ties to Fidesz leaders. EU funds that could help modernise the country have become partially inaccessible due to the dismantling of the rule of law and the spread of systemic corruption.

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It is now clear that the Orbán government is not only incapable of leading the country out of this impasse, but also unwilling to do so. Above all, this is because the Orbán system is built on corruption: its beneficiaries can preserve their dubiously acquired billions only by maintaining the conditions they have created, while continuing the accumulation of luxury goods that irritates millions. Ruling by decrees also serves the preservation of power, maintaining states of emergency for years based on spurious grounds. Parliament has been reduced to mere scenery, while decisions are taken by Viktor Orbán and a handful of his associates. The government’s propaganda empire spends astronomical sums on generating ever new images of enemies, fuelling hate, setting Hungarians against one another, and diverting attention from the country’s real problems. After migrants, Soros and anti-gender campaigns, the current agenda features Ukraine, the opposition “backed by Brussels”, and the defence of sovereignty.

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Hungary needs a complete democratic renewal: a new political system and a government whose purpose is not to enrich the few, but to serve the common good. The 2026 parliamentary elections will not be about left or right, but about the kind of country we wish to live in. At the ballot box we shall decide on issues that determine our future, and we must choose between:

• rule by decree or parliamentary democracy?
• corrupt state capitalism or a social market economy?
• alliance with Russia or membership of the European Union?

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In Hungary, the parliamentary opposition has suffered four consecutive defeats. From this experience we may conclude: under the current electoral system, Orbán and his regime can only be removed if a majority of Hungarian voters’ support, with their constituency vote, the one and most promising challenger. If the strongest opposition party’s candidate wins in most of the 106 constituencies, Orbán’s regime could be brought to an end by parliamentary means. This could be a non-violent route to regime change. Under a new government, a fair electoral system must be created to restore a genuine multi-party democracy in Hungary. 

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With the ideas set out in this discussion paper the V21 Group, composed of former members of governments, seeks to assist Hungarian citizens in preparing for the elections. We list themes and offer arguments to help persuade our fellow citizens who are still undecided: despite the flood of government propaganda Hungary has reached a dead end. The only way out is the election of a new government, empowered by the will of the voters, that will bring about a change of system and return the country to the community of European nations, to the path of democracy and prosperity.
 

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