Orbán’s defeat holds lessons for US: ‘Autocrats may rise, but are not invincible’

Stunning loss of rightwing populist in Hungary carries symbolic significance for opponents of Donald Trump For US Democrats seeking rays of light in the dark landscape of Donald Trump’s authoritarian onslaught, illumination has arrived from the unlikely source of Budapest. Viktor Orbán’s stunning defeat in Hungary’s general election – ending 16 years of unbroken rule for his governing Fidesz party – carries symbolic and psychological significance for American politics out of all proportion to the central European country’s modest size and distance from the US. Continue reading...

Robert Tait in Washington · Mon, Apr 13, 2026, 10:47 AM
US news | The Guardian

Orbán’s defeat holds lessons for US: ‘Autocrats may rise, but are not invincible’

Stunning loss of rightwing populist in Hungary carries symbolic significance for opponents of Donald Trump

For US Democrats seeking rays of light in the dark landscape of Donald Trump’s authoritarian onslaught, illumination has arrived from the unlikely source of Budapest.

Viktor Orbán’s stunning defeat in Hungary’s general election – ending 16 years of unbroken rule for his governing Fidesz party – carries symbolic and psychological significance for American politics out of all proportion to the central European country’s modest size and distance from the US.

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