The Polish Press on Hungary's Change of Government: Parallels and Differences
Is Hungary now facing the same political turmoil that has characterized Poland for years? According to the Polish press, not necessarily.
In his article "The Agony of Fidesz" (Agonia Fideszu), published in the Polish daily Rzeczpospolita, columnist Jędrzej Bielecki draws a historical parallel that resonates strongly with Polish readers. He argues that Fidesz's current predicament bears striking similarities to the developments that followed the Law and Justice (PiS) party's electoral defeat in Poland in 2023.
Following eight years of PiS rule, Donald Tusk's government viewed the 2023 election not merely as a change of administration but as the beginning of a broader institutional and economic transformation. The new government reviewed appointments at state-owned enterprises, restructured the public media, launched new anti-corruption investigations, and introduced a series of measures aimed at dismantling the political and economic networks established under the previous administration. These developments attracted considerable international attention, as Poland's political transition involved not only a change of political leadership but also a far-reaching reorganization of state institutions.
According to Bielecki, a comparable dynamic may now be unfolding in Hungary. His central argument is that Fidesz's current difficulties cannot be explained solely by its electoral defeat. Rather, he suggests that the defining feature of the present situation is the gradual withdrawal of key figures from the former political elite. He points to the departure of Péter Szijjártó, the retirement of several senior politicians, and the visible decline in parliamentary activity among leading Fidesz representatives. In his interpretation, these are not isolated events but signs of the end of a political era.
The Polish analysis extends well beyond personnel changes. Bielecki emphasizes that in both Poland and Hungary, the political stability of the former governing parties was closely linked to supportive economic networks. In Poland, the media devoted considerable attention to the replacement of executives at state-owned companies and to the restructuring of public procurement and state-controlled institutions after the PiS government left office. According to Bielecki, Hungary is now entering a similar phase, particularly regarding business groups that benefited from major public investments and concession agreements over the past fifteen years. In his view, the decline of political influence inevitably leads to a broader economic realignment.
At the same time, the Polish author identifies an important difference. After losing power, PiS retained substantial public support and remains one of Poland's dominant political forces. By contrast, Bielecki argues that the situation in Hungary appears more severe. Citing recent opinion polls, he notes that Fidesz's support has fallen much more sharply than PiS's did after 2023. From this, he concludes that Hungary is experiencing not simply a change of government but a transformation of the political model that had defined the country for more than a decade.
Interestingly, Bielecki's article focuses less on Viktor Orbán himself than on how a political movement reacts after losing executive power following many years in government. This perspective is familiar to Polish readers. After PiS entered opposition, the party experienced increasing strategic disagreements, internal tensions and debates over its future direction, despite its previously disciplined organization. Bielecki suggests that Hungary may now be entering a comparable phase, with the retreat of several senior political figures serving as one of its most visible indicators.
Ultimately, the Polish interpretation goes beyond day-to-day politics. It asks whether a formerly dominant governing party can preserve its organization, political identity and electoral support once it moves into opposition. Poland's recent experience suggests that this is a long-term process whose outcome becomes clear only years later. In that sense, Bielecki's article is less a final verdict than a political diagnosis – an attempt to interpret Hungary's current developments through the lens of Poland's own recent experience and to assess whether Fidesz is now embarking on the same path that PiS has already travelled.
