Evening small talk on this or that election: what changes could we witness in Central and Eastern Europe

Across Central and Eastern Europe, elections often appear as routine democratic exercises. Yet, taken together, they reveal deeper shifts in the political landscape of the region. From the seeming collapse of the longstanding Orban regime in Hungary to the recent contests in Bulgaria and beyond, voting patterns, party realignments and public sentiment are reshaping the balance between illiberal tendencies and democratic resilience. These developments raise broader questions about the state of liberal democracy, the durability of institutional checks and balances, and the evolving relationship between national governments of the region, Russia and the European Union. 

Who is Petér Magyar? What signals can we read in these electoral outcomes? How do they interact with long‑standing regional dynamics, and what might they suggest about the future political trajectory of Central and Eastern Europe? 

With Zoltán Kelemen, professor of European History and Rule of Law at Budapest Corvinus University, the discussion will focus on the mechanisms behind these shifts, the pressures facing democratic institutions, and the implications for EU–member state relations. Particular attention will be given to how electoral strategies, constitutional reforms and public discourse contribute to broader transformations in governance and political culture.