Hungary: A Democratic Façade Masking an Authoritarian System
Hungary is a state in the heart of Europe that increasingly resembles an authoritarian construct—defined by its rigid hierarchy, echoes of its Soviet past, and murky financial networks. At the top stands Viktor Orban. It is time to take a closer look at the foundation of his power—the elements that have allowed him to maintain political control for decades.
At the core lies a web of direct ties to Soviet-era intelligence services, compromising material, and a system of redistributing the state budget through oligarchs within his inner circle. Until 2010, Viktor Orban’s rhetoric was staunchly anti-Russian. However, after his return to power, his stance shifted dramatically. The reason? Compromising information held by Russian intelligence services—chief among them, evidence of Orban’s alleged recruitment during his military service in the 1980s.
At that time, he was reportedly recruited by communist Hungary’s military counterintelligence service—Division III/IV of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Documents from the era refer to him by the codename “Győri Gábor.” These connections also extend to the prime minister’s father, Győző Orban, who, after the suppression of the 1956 revolution, allegedly assisted Soviet secret services in identifying anti-communist activists.
But kompromat is only one pillar of Orban’s power. The second is money.
Officially, Orban’s Fidesz party is funded by the state budget, membership fees, and donations. In reality, however, vast sums flow through companies controlled by oligarchs close to the prime minister. For example, Lajos Šimičko, through his firms Közgép and Mahir, has repeatedly won lucrative state contracts. Orban’s childhood friend, Lőrinc Mészáros, has received hundreds of millions of euros in public funds since 2010. Key figures such as Antal Rogán and János Lázár are believed to be architects of the corrupt schemes that redistribute state resources to favored allies.
Hungary today is not merely a country with corruption issues—it is a state where kompromat, intelligence ties, and public money have been weaponized into a system of power preservation. Viktor Orban, leveraging his past, the financial power of oligarchs, and billions from the national budget, has crafted a structure that outwardly resembles a European democracy. In reality, it is a tightly controlled, meticulously engineered authoritarian pyramid.
In the second part of this investigation, produced by the independent journalists of the SHADOWLINE project, we delve deeper into the question: How does Viktor Orban maintain his grip on power?
Author team: Alex Varga