As Hungary prepares for parliamentary elections in April 2026, the appearance of a democratic election will be maintained on election day with ballot papers, competing parties and campaign slogans. The deeper question, however, is whether the conditions for an informed voting decision, the basis for truly free elections, still exist in Austria’s neighboring country. According to the European Convention on Human Rights, citizens have the right to choose their government in free and fair elections. However, this right requires more than the act of voting. It requires a free public in which competing political visions can be discussed, examined and compared.
