Vienna Coffee House Conversations with Ivan Vejvoda

Episode 50: Post-Enlightenment Hungary with Péter Krekó

Episode Summary

In this Vienna Coffee House Conversations episode, Ivan Vejvoda welcomes Professor Péter Krekó to discuss the emerging “post-Enlightenment” era, characterized by emotional, myth-driven politics that challenge the materialist, evidence-based order established since World War II. Krekó outlines how this shift gives rise to “new romanticism,” where policy debates are increasingly shaped by emotional narratives and skepticism toward scientific expertise. They then examine the mechanics of tribal politics, defined by moralized conflict between “good” and “evil,” unconditional loyalty to leaders, and the instrumental use of disinformation. Krekó shows how this dynamic reframes democratic transgressions as heroism, erodes accountability for corruption, and fuels the spread of conspiracies - even among those who privately doubt them. Turning to Hungary, Krekó analyzes the high-stakes contest ahead of the April 2026 parliamentary elections. He reviews Fidesz’s media dominance, fear-mongering campaigns on Ukraine’s EU accession and migration, and civil-society resilience exemplified by Budapest’s record-breaking Pride march. He argues that while authoritarian tactics are on the table, growing public appetite for independent voices -and an opposition polling lead - offer a real chance to reset Hungary’s democratic trajectory.

Episode Notes

Discussion Highlights:

Post-Enlightenment era: Shift from fact-driven, technocratic politics to emotional, myth-based narratives; “new romanticism” as politics serving emotional needs.
Tribal politics: Politics as moralized conflict; unconditional leader loyalty; democratic norms waived as “necessary” in existential struggle; disinformation and conspiracy theories as tools of tribal mobilization.
Free speech charade: How authoritarian leaders and tech moguls exploit “free speech” rhetoric to delegitimise content moderation; selective censorship in global social media platforms.
Hungary’s 2026 elections: Fidesz’s entrenched media control; opposition lead in polls amid corruption scandals and economic woes; risk of electoral-system tweaks if the gap widens.
Ukraine-fear campaign: Government-backed narratives linking EU/NATO enlargement to economic decline; pervasive anti-Ukrainian sentiment despite public sympathy and solidarity efforts.
Migration narratives: Contradictions in anti-migration rhetoric versus labour needs in German-owned Hungarian automotive plants; persistence of sovereignty-based appeals.
Budapest Pride mobilisation: Over 200,000 participants signalling civil-society resilience; government attempts to cast Pride as a threat to “family values.”
Europe’s response: Internal EU disruptors like Hungary; need for flexible, united EU measures (e.g., qualified-majority votes); potential leverage via conditionality on EU funds.

About Péter Krekó
Péter Krekó (born 20 March 1980 in Budapest) is a Hungarian social psychologist and political scientist. He is Associate Professor (with habilitation) at the Department of Social Psychology and the Disinformation and Artificial Intelligence Research Lab at Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) in Budapest Mores Horizon. Since 2011, he has directed the Budapest-based Political Capital Institute and serves as consortium leader for the Hungarian Digital Media Observatory (HDMO-Lakmusz), part of the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO) network Democracy Institute. His research addresses disinformation, conspiracy theories, political populism, extremism, Russian influence, and political tribalism. He has held fellowships as Visiting Fellow, Engaging Central Europe at the German Marshall Fund of the United States; Europe’s Futures Visiting Researcher at the Institute for Human Sciences, Vienna; PopBack Fellow at the University of Cambridge; non-resident Associate Fellow at Johns Hopkins SAIS Bologna; and Fulbright Visiting Professor at Indiana University (2016–2017) European Forum Alpbach. He is author of The Hungarian Far Right (Ibidem-Verlag, 2017, with Attila Juhász) and Mass Paranoia: The Social Psychology of Conspiracy Theories and False News (Athenaeum Kiadó, 2018)