Is Hungary run by the radical right?

"The answer is yes. Although Jobbik is campaigning with a more moderate image than Fidesz, there is no doubt that Jobbik would implement some fundamentally different policies in key areas. Jobbik would almost certainly make Hungary leave, rather than just criticize the European Union, and would align the country more openly with Vladimir Putin’s Russia. It also would seriously undermine the rights of minorities in Hungary, most notably Jews and Roma.

Still, despite the fact that Jobbik is a radical right party and Fidesz is possibly not, Fidesz is a bigger radical right threat, for three reasons.

First, radical right “politics” are not limited to radical right “parties.” Just as (nominally) social democratic parties and politicians (such as Tony Blair in the United Kingdom) can implement neoliberal policies, conservative (and other) parties can propose and even introduce (populist) radical right policies — policies informed by nativism, authoritarianism and populism.

Second, although Jobbik is more ideologically radical right, it is in opposition and Fidesz is in power. Few governments in Western democracies include radical right parties; in most that do, the radical right party is almost always a junior party. Academic research has shown that radical right parties tend to be relatively ineffective in government — although that could change in time as they gain more experience in government.

Finally, mainstream parties such as Fidesz may be more harmful for liberal democracy than radical right parties such as Jobbik because they often have the experience, power and skills to implement illiberal policies. What’s more, mainstream parties tend to have supporters in important political positions both within their own countries, such as within the bureaucracy and judiciary, and beyond."