The report From Havel to Orbán: Central Europe as a beacon of “illiberal democracy” offers an in-depth analysis of the ongoing crisis of democracy in Central Europe, with a particular focus on the Visegrád countries and their broader impact on Central and Eastern Europe and the European Union. The publication traces how a region once celebrated as a model of democratic transition and successful European integration has become one of the EU’s main laboratories of democratic erosion, populism, and authoritarian tendencies. The relevance of the topic stems from the fact that key national and local elections will take place in all V-4 countries in 2026-27.
Adam Balcer and Gabriela Rzepka adopt a long-term political perspective, contrasting the vision of “humane democracy” associated with former Czechoslovakian president, Václav Havel, with the contemporary model of “illiberal democracy,” most visibly promoted by current Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán. The paper argues that democratic backsliding in the region is not merely the result of short-term political crises, but rather the outcome of deeper structural factors, including high levels of political polarization, institutional weaknesses, entrenched corruption, media and capital concentration, and the growing appeal of nationalist and anti-liberal narratives.
The analysis covers Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, and Czechia, highlighting distinct national trajectories and scale of de-democratisation. These range from the consolidation of electoral autocracy/hybrid regime in Hungary, through cyclical shifts between democratization and ratiocination in Poland and Slovakia, to the emergence of systemic democratic risks in Czechia. The authors pay particular attention to the rising influence of far-right and conservative national left forces, as well as to the gradual accommodation of their agendas by mainstream political parties.
Beyond the regional dimension, the report also examines the European implications of these developments. It shows the declining presence of Central European actors within the EU’s political mainstream, acknowledging their growing influence within far-right party structures at the European level and the widening gap between the region and EU institutions. The authors argue that Central Europe has ceased to be merely a recipient of illiberal trends and has increasingly become their exporter, both within the EU- especially to the other Central Eastern European countries- and beyond. The CEE countries are in-depth analyzed in the report due to sequence of important national elections which will be held in the region this year. They might seal the fate of several of countries and influence considerably the trajectory of the EU in the coming years.
Read the report: From Havel to Orban pdf
Co-financed by the National Freedom Institute – Centre for Civil Society Development in the framework of the Civil Society Organisations Development Programme for 2018-2030 CSODev
