The dominant member of the Fidesz-KDNP governing coalition, the party has been the ruling member of Hungary since 2010, and was also in power in 1998-2002. Originally a party associated with the student movement and financially backed by George Soros, after Orbán took leadership in 1993, the party has continually shifted to the right. Since its return to government in 2010, the party has dedicated significant resources to building relationships abroad and marketing Hungary as the ideal right-wing country.
Fidesz has received advice and support from foreign consultants, experts, and organizations, including the International Republican Institute, the Robert Schurman Institute, Sebastian Gorka, Patrick Egan, Sean Tonner, Daniel Odescalchi, Arthur Finklestein, and George Birnbaum. The latter two were employed through the party’s think tank, the Századvég Foundation.
Prominent founding or early members of the party include former Fidesz MEP, József Szajer, current lead candidate for the 2024 European elections, Tamás Deutsch, and former Fidesz spin doctor, Andras Wermer. More recently, András László is being positioned as the new English speaking face of the party after the resignation of former president Katalin Novák. Antal Rogán and Árpád Habony play key roles in the communications and political strategy of Fidesz, while Gábor Kubatov is Fidesz’s current party director.
The party has spent a great deal of time building relationships with parties and political movements abroad, and as part of the outreach, the Center for Fundamental Rights hosts a Hungarian version of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). Fidesz has also sponsored several English language publications, including Remix News, and the European Conservative. They have also sponsored the Danube Institute, which has brought in prominent conservative activists from around the world to improve the country’s image.
