Zsuzsanna Szelényi

In the framework of the Europe’s Future project at IWM, Zsuzsanna Szelényi researches and analyzes the effective tools civic and political forces can offer in challenging new authoritarian governments within the European Union.

Reflecting on her personal experience as an opposition politician in Hungary, Szelényi analyzes why authoritarianism emerged in the country and how the new authoritarian playbook could be potentially adapted to a variety of political environments in Europe. She gives an account of the political, moral, and strategic dilemmas that a democratic opposition needs to tackle in standing up to the new authoritarianism and in coming up with a compelling alternative political narrative to win over voters.