Hungary has become the go-to example for democracy in demise. Recent protests, however, have highlighted a fatal flaw in strongman President Viktor Orban’s model, even if they don’t signal an end to his power.

Orban has worked to undermine democracy in Hungary. The Fidesz party, under his leadership, has rewritten electoral regulations, clamped down on the independence of courts, converted previously independent media into state propaganda, and forced an independent university to leave the country.