Most respondents of recent poll in Hungary identify Orbán regime as mafia state
Seven out of ten Hungarian voters believe that corruption was organized centrally and systematically, from the top down during the NER era, and a majority view certain highly successful entrepreneurs as Viktor Orbán’s front men, according to a Medián survey published on Hvg.hu.
NER is short for Nemzeti Együttműködés Rendszere, meaning ’System of National Cooperation.’ The term was coined by the Orbán government after their election victory in 2010 to refer to the changes in government that they were about to introduce. The term later became a word in its own right, and has been used in colloquial Hungarian to refer to Fidesz' governing elite, complete with the politicians and the oligarchs profiting from the system.
Three-quarters of the country’s voting-age population believe that financial misuse was widespread in the Orbán government: 60 percent say it was very widespread, and another 15 percent say it was widespread. Opinions mainly vary according to age, educational attainment, and party preference: 82 percent of those under 30 consider the abuse to have been very extensive, while among those over 65, this proportion is 46 percent. Those with higher levels of education are significantly more critical than those with only a primary school education.
Fifty-six percent of the Hungarian population considers it very likely, and another 29 percent considers it conceivable that certain exceptionally successful entrepreneurs were Viktor Orbán’s front men. Overall, 85 percent of respondents do not rule out this possibility, and even 5 percent of Fidesz supporters find it very likely.
Those who participated in the survey conducted in late July were asked, “Which term best describes the system of government under Viktor Orbán?” and could choose from seven options. The majority—37 percent of respondents—chose the term “mafia state,” while “civic democracy” received 15 percent and “autocracy” 14 percent. As a second choice, “autocracy” ranked first (19 percent), followed by “dictatorship” (17 percent) and “mafia state” (16 percent).
Put together, the first and second mentions show that the interpretation of the system as a “mafia state” has increased significantly since 2023, rising from 34 to 53 percent.
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