Democratic Erosion University Course Student Blog

Students enrolled in our course are encouraged to write for the course blog, and to read and comment on posts from students at other participating universities. The blog offers students the opportunity to analyze current events through the lens of the theory and case studies they engage with through the course.

These are student blog posts written by student participants in the Democratic Erosion Course. These posts were not written by nor represent the views of the Democratic Erosion Consortium.

Rebuilding a Rigged Democracy: Why Restraint Isn’t Enough

On April 12, 2026, Viktor Orbán lost. After sixteen years in power, his Fidesz party was crushed by Péter Magyar’s Tisza party in the highest-turnout election Hungary has held since 1990, and Orbán conceded on election night. For a man who proudly spoke of building an...

2026 Hungarian Elections Aftermath: An exchange of populist leaders or a redemption for democracy?

The 2026 Hungarian national elections on April 12 have taken the world by surprise. Long-standing populist and stealth-autocrat prime minister Viktor Orbán and his party, FIDESZ, lost the election after 16 years in power to the opposition party TISZA, led by Péter...

Democratic Erosion Within the United States Under the Trump Administration

An article by The Washington Post reports an increase in election-related lawsuits as the 2026 midterms approach. A reason behind this increase in lawsuits is partially due to President Donald Trump's aggressive push for changes to mail-in ballots. While this change...

Turkey and T24: How Erosion is Demonstrated Through the Populists Toolkit

Oct 7, 2026 | Boston University

On September 30th, Turkey’s Criminal Court of Peace banned T24, a news portal based in the country, for alleged “LGBT Propaganda”. This follows suit in a growing number of...

Defending Democracy While Restricting Press Freedom in Moldova

Oct 7, 2026 | George Mason University

Can a democratic government protect democracy while restricting press freedom? Ahead of the 2025 parliamentary election, the Moldovan government used broad emergency powers...

The 2026 Midterms as an Institutional Test

May 2, 2026 | Boston University

Orbán Lost. But Did Democracy Win? Hungary’s Election and the Limits of Electoral Recovery

May 1, 2026 | Suffolk University

On April 12 2026 Viktor Orbán's sixteen-year grip on Hungary ended. This is when Péter Magyar's Tisza party won a landslide securing a two-thirds supermajority in parliament. The same threshold...

Democratic Erosion and the Far-Right in Post-Estallido Chile

May 1, 2026 | Tulane University

A fundamental question haunts any serious analysis of Chile's recent political trajectory: did the democratic erosion now visibly accelerating under the far-right begin with the mass mobilizations...

When Saving Democracy Looks Like Killing It: Romania’s Election Crisis and the Paradox of Militant Democracy

May 1, 2026 | Suffolk University

In December 2024, Romania's Constitutional Court did something almost without precedent in modern European history: it annulled the first round of a presidential election 48 hours before the second...

How the Supreme Court’s Immunity Ruling Impacts American Democracy

Apr 30, 2026 | Suffolk University

In July 2024, the Supreme Court of the United States issued a landmark decision granting presidents broad immunity from prosecution for actions taken while in office. In Trump v. United States...

El Salvador: Trading Checks and Balances for Saftey

Apr 30, 2026 | Suffolk University

Resistances to Democratic Backsliding in Indonesia

Apr 30, 2026 | James Madison University

Indonesia has experienced continuous democratic backsliding since 2017. Despite pervasive executive aggrandizement and other continuing challenges, domestic actors have worked from above and below...

Recent President Sets Back El Salvador

Apr 30, 2026 | Boston University

El Salvador is facing democratic erosion due to its current president Nayib Bukele. Bukele at first started his presidency in 2019, winning against the two candidates of the main two historically...

America stuck in a Dilemma

Apr 30, 2026 | Boston University

The United States is at risk of losing its democracy due to its president, Donald Trump. Many are concerned with the fact that Trump is showing signs of wanting to get rid of democracy. A lot of the...