This publication is the latest in our series of comprehensive annual overviews, focusing on developments, events and trends in Hungary in 2020, as well as an outlook on which topics we expect to dominate Hungarian politics in 2021.  It focuses on five broad areas. In the first section we review the year from the perspective of the Hungarian government, with a special emphasis on the impact of the Covid-19 crisis and how the Orbán government has tried to control the narrative and has used the crisis as a cover to further improve its power position. In the second section we look at the opposition parties, their state and prospects after announcing that they will stand united against Fidesz at the 2022 parliamentary elections. The third section focuses on foreign affairs, in particular the conflict between the Hungarian government and the EU over the rule-of-law mechanism and the next EU budget. In the fourth section, we take a detailed look at how Fidesz's policies have shaped the economy during the Covid-19 crisis. Finally, some key developments of the Hungarian society – media landscape after the takeover of Hungary’s leading online news site, Index; increasing Fidesz control over higher education and culture – are discussed. All of the sections conclude with a brief analysis of the issues which may come to the fore in 2021.

Editor: András Bíró-Nagy

Main author: Gábor Győri 

Contributing authors: András Bíró-Nagy, Gábor Scheiring

"Hungarian Politics in 2020" can be downloaded from here.