Anti-Orban Rallies Snowball to Denounce Hungary’s Illiberal Rule
- Opposition lawmakers try to enter public TV studios overnight
- Hungarian leader enjoys broad support despite demonstrations
Photographer: Laszlo Balogh/Getty Images
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Protests against Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s regime grew as an initial call to repeal a law on overtime work widened into a demand for a return to liberal democracy, including independent courts and free public media.
The demonstration on Sunday was the biggest of four in five days and highlighted the backlash against Orban’s centralization of power. The 55-year old won a third consecutive election in April and his cabinet is undergoing a European Union probe over accusations that it’s undermining the rule of law. The protest also showed exasperation on the part of critics for their inability to influence policy and slow the country’s slide away from democracy.