Democracy Digest: Fidesz, Family Values and Friends of Dorothy

To escape the police, the 59-year-old politician had apparently jumped out of a window and tried to flee along the gutter, though was spotted by a passer-by and subsequently apprehended by the police. Ecstasy pills were found in his rucksack, but he declared to have no knowledge of them.

The news spread like wildfire in the Hungarian and the international media, prompting condemnation and ridicule in equal measure. Low-cost airline Ryanair took the lead, tweeting an ad promising a "quick escape from Brussels" (but recommended no window seats). Former Hungarian prime minister and chairman of the opposition Democratic Coalition, Ferenc Gyurcsany, asked Fidesz: "Guys, who is next? Who will dare to preach about Christian values while having illegal drug orgies?" Gyurcsany was referring to a previous sex and drugs scandal involving a Fidesz mayor, Zsolt Borkai, which went viral shortly before the 2019 municipal elections and led to governing party losses in big cities, including Budapest.

Others were quick to highlight the hypocrisy of the Fidesz government. Socialist MEP Istvan Ujhelyi wrote: "The essence of the system is a lie." Jobbik MEP Marton Gyongyosi published a statement, saying: "Here is Fidesz in its full reality. It is a group of lying and corrupt drug addicts who take part in orgies and lie to our faces every day."

Political analyst Gabor Torok agreed that the scandal is a serious blow to Fidesz, as it involves a prominent politician who once boasted of having written the new (Fidesz inspired) constitution on his own. Torok wrote in an op-ed that Fidesz now faces two serious crises: a crisis of authenticity as the gap between the principles they preach and how they live is laid bare, and a crisis of communication strategies. "How can...