Orbánism Survives Leadership Change

Even when a dominant populist leader is voted out, their political style and institutional footprint can persist via protégés, breakaway parties, or policy continuity. Voter-facing leadership turnover may therefore produce surface change while leaving the underlying governing project intact. — This reframes how observers should interpret electoral 'defeats' of authoritarian-leaning incumbents: a leader’s loss is not necessarily a systemic democratic gain.