"This article reviews the recent elections in Hungary from the particular perspective of the decline in electoral support for the social democratic party (MSZP) and the rise of the right-wing, in particular the far-right Jobbik party. Hungary, previously since 1989 dominated by a bipolar, largely two-party system, saw this break up in the aftermath of a political scandal in the middle of the decade which put MSZP in disarray. This was followed by a street politics and the impact of the growing global economic and financial crises. These played on nationalist fears and sentiment, and on a concern over the social decline of the Hungarian middle and lower classes, ultimately paving the way for the rise of the populist right. The author debates the failure of political liberalism and the rise of the right, concluding that Hungary is following Austria and Italy in this regard, and that the forthcoming period is likely to see a consolidation of the country's bipolar political culture."

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