You’ve probably heard that authoritarianism is on the rise across the globe. Increasingly, countries are adopting policies that undermine democracy, reduce accountability, and erode civil liberties and human rights. But why is authoritarianism on the rise, and how do authoritarian leaders come to power?   

Lauded by Donald Trump and condemned by rights-defenders, Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban provides a useful case study for those hoping to better understand the authoritarians’ playbook.  

This week, host Ngofeen Mputubwele speaks to a Hungarian journalist and civil liberties strategist to map Orban’s journey to autocracy, and how his lurch towards authoritarianism has decimated civil liberties and allowed him to exert a stranglehold on Hungarian politics for more than 15 years.  

Stefania Kopronczay: Former director of the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union; visiting scholar at Columbia University   

Viktória Serdült: Journalist at HVG.HU