It looks like @ec.europa.eu is using the leverage it has with Hungary’s new govt (Péter Magyar’s important electoral promise is the release of RRF money w/ aug deadline) is have HU Commit to a phase out put of some leavies 1/

Euronews@euronews.com · 4mo ago

Hungary's new PM Péter Magyar outlined how his government plans to spend EU funds, but said he will not phase out the controversial windfall taxes that Brussels has made a condition of their release. #EuropeNews ➡️ https://l.euronews.com/6k71

Another day, another Hungarian captured institution performing independence. Today the Constitutional Court struck down the Orbán govt's retroactive decree that tried to kill Budapest's lawsuits over the "solidarity contribution." Looks like a win for rule of law. Is it? 🧵 1/9

Az Alkotmánybíróság visszamenőleges hatállyal megsemmisítette a szolidaritási adóról szóló kormányrendelet egyes rendelkezéseit

Az Országos Bírói Tanács jogorvoslati kérelmét tárgyalta az Alkotmánybíróság, a kifogásolt szabályokat megsemmisítették, Budapest tovább perelhet.

telex.hu

The Article 7 procedure against Hungary is nothing more than a political punitive measure, says Fidesz MEP Tamás Deutsch, announcing that their EP delegation is formally calling for the immediate termination of the procedure. 2/1

1/ Unusual scene inside Hungary’s Constitutional Court: during a sitting, judge Marcel Szabó reportedly read out a statement calling for court president Péter Polt to resign. telex.hu/belfold/2026...?

Az Alkotmánybíróság ülésén szólították fel lemondásra Polt Pétert

Szabó Marcel alkotmánybíró szerint a Polt múltjával terhelt intézményt már csak az elnök távozása mentheti meg.

telex.hu

Democratic frontsliding in the EU is real! #Hungary Curious what people think: how does our frontsliding framework travel from Poland to Hungary? In our new paper @chrishillion.bsky.social, @tommasopavone.bsky.social & I examine the challenges of democratic restoration after backsliding. 👇 thread

JEPP Journal@jeppjournal.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Impeccable timing: „Democratic frontsliding in the European Union: the problem of autocratic enclaves and the case for restorative disobedience“ by @chrishillion.bsky.social, @tommasopavone.bsky.social & @ascherz.bsky.social 🔗 doi.org/10.1080/1350...

We often say there is an entire Hungarian generation that has known nothing but the Orbán regime. I am part of that generation. Tomorrow is full of uncertainty. But today, we are together. Hát gyerekek, ennyi volt… Ezek is mi vagyunk.

Viktor Orbán has congratulated Péter Magyar! #Hungary

At @telexhu.bsky.social one political analyst just called the election for Tisza. Let’s wait, and as we all know, 2/3 may matter just as much.

Hungary: National parliament election Turnout at 5:00 PM CEST 2018: 63.21% 2022: 62.92% 2026: 74.23% Source: Nemzeti Választási Iroda ➤ europeelects.eu/hungary #Hungary

Record-breaking turnout continues in #Hungary’s elections: by 3pm, participation had climbed to 66.01%. The previous high for this point in the day dates back to 2002, when 53.59% had voted under a very different electoral system.

1/ Many were wondering whether Fidesz would actually concede if it lost. High turnout today is encouraging — but there are now clear signals the government is preparing the ground to contest the legitimacy of the result, at least if it’s close.

More encouraging turnout data from Hungary 🇭🇺 By 9am, participation has already reached 16.89% (up from 3.46% at 7am) — well above the 10.31% recorded at the same time four years ago. #Hungary #Elections

Some #hopium from Hungary: Record-breaking 3.46% turnout until 7am & early patterns are encouraging. Budapest met region, mid-sized towns are the most active, where Tisza is stronger. Fidesz-supporting villages/small towns are more passive, a big shift from earlier years. telex.hu/english/2026...

Protesters at the exit of Orbán’s polling station, holding a one-way ticket from Budapest to Moscow, playing the «The Red Army is the Strongest» Soviet march song. Let’s hope they are wrong.

Vlad Makszimov@vmakszimov.bsky.social · 5mo ago

I guess once a journo, always a journo. Without meaning to, I managed to time my vote with Viktor Orbán’s, who’s residential address is three streets down from me. #Hungary #Elections

I guess once a journo, always a journo. Without meaning to, I managed to time my vote with Viktor Orbán’s, who’s residential address is three streets down from me. #Hungary #Elections

🇭🇺 Spotted a group of OSCE election observers at the gate, also Budapest-bound. The final stretch begins. 🛫🗳️ #Hungary #Elections

Yes, we made a podcast about the Hungarian elections. Bear with us. 🇭🇺🫠 🗳️ Why a poll lead isn't enough 🏛️ Why a new government inherits a system designed to outlast it 🌍 Why rule of law enforcement matters more if the opposition wins With Alida Steigler (@unioslo-jus.bsky.social). 🎧 sptfy.in/arena

Hungary's elections: What they reveal, and what they cannot fix - ARENA Centre for European Studies

Electoral change is necessary for democratic renewal in Hungary. It is not sufficient.

sv.uio.no

This chart goes a long way in explaining why Orbán’s system is under real pressure for the first time. The growth that sustained it has stalled—and with it, the political bargain that kept voters on board. I tried to unpack what that means. 👉 brettoninthewoods.substack.com/p/can-hungar...

We are hiring! ARENA is looking for a Postdoctoral Fellow political science, political economy or European studies. The fellowship is connected to the Norwegian Centre for International Economics (NORCIE). Read more and apply by 6 April 🔗 www.jobbnorge.no/en/available...

New EU court case III Rule of law/asylum law Hungary sues EU court for damages, saying that the EU court breached EU law by fining Hungary for *its* breach of EU law eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-conten...

Zelenskyy’s forceful responses to Orbán’s provocations are a strategic blunder, regardless of who wins the 🇭🇺 elections. 1/

EU blasts Zelenskyy over veiled threat against Orbán

Brussels issues rare condemnation of Ukraine’s president, as the Budapest-Kyiv feud boils over.

politico.eu

With roughly a month to Hungary’s vote 🇭🇺, I bring dispatches from the “wait, WHAT?” beat of the country's electoral theatre. 1/10 🧵 👇

Either lazy reporting or these "EU officials" are in for a rude awakening. Tisza's newly published programme explicitly rejects accelerated Ukraine accession.

Simon Usherwood@simonusherwood.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Slight sense of Underpant Gnomes about the Politico report on Ukrainian 'reverse membership' Basic tension of wanting to pull UKR into EU and using membership to drive pre-accession changes remains www.politico.eu/article/5-st...

Interesting dev in 🇭🇺 ongoing #RoL breakdown -- a Budapest court just signaled it won’t let the govt retro-decree its way to victory in an ongoing lawsuit against the capital. Did #Hungarian courts finally have enough? 1/ telex.hu/belfold/2026...

A bíróság is felhúzta magát a kormányrendeleten: jogellenes, alkotmányellenes, visszaható hatályú

Sérti az alkotmányt, a jogállamiságot, a bírói függetlenséget, a visszamenőleges jogalkotás tilalmát – a Fővárosi Törvényszék megtámadta a szolidaritási hozzájárulásról hozott friss kormányrendeletet.

telex.hu

To date, the ACI’s primary purpose appears to be benchmarking @ec.europa.eu spox team's talent to maximise mimetic facial and gestural intensity while minimising commitment to specifics.

Gerardo Fortuna@gerardofortuna.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Is the EU’s Anti-Coercion Instrument (aka trade bazooka) a bit like Draghi’s 2012 Whatever it takes? A tool that works simply by being mentioned, without ever being fired? An EU spox told me: “Sometimes just mentioning the possibility of a stronger tool can serve the desired effect"

Right on cue. Here's Putin playing ball legitimising Trump's claims of Russian threat to Greenland. 🔗 www.theguardian.com/world/live/2...

Stumbled across McFaul (frm. US Amb. in Moscow) in a Jul '25 itw w/ @vDud saying he’s "disappointed" in Europeans, who didn’t have "bigger protests" against the Iraq invasion—except Europe literally had the largest anti-war demo. Ever. Like, Guinness World Record "big" 🤷 1/3 youtu.be/vxZEkll2N2I?...

Is U.S. policy hypocrisy? / US Professor vs Russian Journalist

YouTube video by vDud

youtu.be

💥Hungary's main opposition Tisza party has widened its lead over PM Viktor Orban's Fidesz, two polls showed on Wednesday, ahead of an April election in which the veteran nationalist is seeking to retain his 16-year grip on power. @reuters.com

Hungary's main opposition widens lead over PM Orban's Fidesz, two surveys show

Hungary's main opposition Tisza party has widened its lead over Prime Minister Viktor Orban's Fidesz, two polls showed on Wednesday, ahead of an April election in which the veteran nationalist is seek...

reuters.com

📢 New book chapter 👤 Øyvind Stiansen (ISV) @oyvindstiansen.bsky.social 🔎 The Courts 📖 Published in Oxford Handbook of Norwegian Politics 🔗 doi.org/10.1093/oxfo...

The Courts

AbstractCourts frequently decide politically important cases in Norway. Yet, despite voicing concerns about the consequences of judicialization for represe

doi.org

With <97 days to go until Hungary’s elections, a few thoughts on what the battle of the pressers (Orbán vs Magyar) tells us about the state of the race 🧵 👇