Transnational politics to export illiberalism

Building Viktor Orbán’s illiberal democracy profoundly affects not only domestic politics but Hungarian transnational relations with its ethnic kin in neighboring countries. This paper argues democratic backsliding and curbed political competition allows Orbán to use kin-state politics to cement his personal rule, both within and outside of Hungary, transnationalizing his illiberal authoritarian-populist regime. Examining the developments of Hungarian kin-state politics targeted at the Hungarian community in Romania, I argue that post-2010 Hungarian kin-state policies serve primarily the extension of Orbán’s patronal politics, in which political authority centers on a single patron controlling an elaborate system of rewards and punishments. This way, illiberalism is ‘exported’ via homeland nationalism: support is conditional on loyalty – disabling political competitors, capturing local minority media by Fidesz cronies to promote illiberal propaganda, and external citizenship is limited at delivering gratitude votes. Local patronage networks are replaced with a trans-border network, topped by Orbán himself. Political and material intervention for the kin-abroad by the Hungarian state becomes a reward mechanism, available only via personal connections, punishing all who dare to dissent. Financial support for minority education, culture or political representation is available solely for supporters of the regime. Political competition is canceled out via selective financial support for Hungarian ethnic parties. Similarly, the extension of kin-state citizenship and external voting rights are meant as pay-back avenues for minority members, to deliver gratitude votes in exchange for the support received. In addition, homeland control of minority media becomes key as illiberalism aims at political closure and suppressed dissent. Hungary-funded regional newspapers and media outlets in Romania spread Fidesz propaganda and fake news, while criticizing the Romanian government and aim at creating an ethnic parallelism (Kiss and Kiss 2018) in which Hungarian communities live their life in Romania as if they were part of Hungary. This way, the Hungarian minority in Romania becomes isolated not only from the remaining political opposition in Budapest but also larger Romanian society, becoming part of the transnational illiberal regime, readily supporting Orbán, portrayed as the only protector of diaspora interest.