In Part Two of our three-part conversation, Márta Pardavi, co-chair of the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, explains why—after 15 years of Viktor Orbán's rule—she's finally seeing cracks in the wall.

Despite relentless government control of the courts and media, Márta says Hungarians are beginning to find their voice again. She describes how investigative journalists, small crowdfunded outlets, and ordinary citizens are challenging the narrative—whether through a viral exposé on corruption, a banned Pride march that drew 200,000 people, or café conversations that have turned political.

Hosted by Drew Leifheit, Hungary for Change asks a pressing question: After a decade and a half of one-party rule, is Hungary ready for political change?

(Photo by Kostas Anastassiu: https://www.pexels.com/photo/inside-the-train-car-4355619/Photo by Kostas Anastassiu: https://www.pexels.com/photo/inside-the-train-car-4355619/Photo by Kostas Anastassiu: https://www.pexels.com/photo/inside-the-train-car-4355619/Photo by Kostas Anastassiu: https://www.pexels.com/photo/inside-the-train-car-4355619/

On the northern shore of Lake Velence — one of Hungary's last stretches of open, public lakeside — the government has approved a massive "priority project" that would hand much of the area over to private development.

By invoking Hungary's ongoing "state of emergency," declared because of the war in Ukraine, the Fidesz-led government has made the project legally untouchable — bypassing public consultation and local oversight entirely.

For residents of the nearby village of Sukoró, it feels like nature is being stolen from under them. In protest, a small grassroots group calling themselves Sukoró Harmony has been planting trees along the lakeshore — a symbolic act to reclaim public space and remind others what's at stake: not just a landscape, but a voice in how it's used.

Host Drew Leifheit visits the site, where locals replace an uprooted sapling — Sukoró's "tree of Hope" — and speaks with one of the activists about resistance, resilience, and the meaning of community in an increasingly centralized state.

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In this first episode of Hungary for Change, host Drew Leifheit sits down with Márta Pardavi, co-chair of the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, for a candid conversation about what it means to defend the rule of law under Viktor Orbán's government.

For 15 years, Orbán and his Fidesz party have held a two-thirds majority in parliament — consolidating power, rewriting the constitution, and hollowing out democratic institutions. Yet Márta Pardavi, one of Hungary's leading human rights defenders, continues to stand her ground.

In Part One of this three-part conversation, Márta shares how the law can still serve as a shield for democracy, what it's like to work under constant government pressure, and why she believes Hungarians are beginning to rediscover their voice.

Series theme: Is Hungary ready for political change after 15 years of one-party rule?

🎧 Hungary for Change is a podcast series exploring how a nation long seen as the "original Trumpist state" is grappling with the future of democracy.