Hungarians head to the polls on Sunday for parliamentary elections whose results may have consequences across Eastern Europe, says Irish Times correspondent Daniel McLaughlin on this week's World View podcast.
At stake in Budapest is prime minister Viktor Orbán’s supermajority in parliament, which he has used to push through a number of authoritarian reforms.
On the campaign trail Mr Orbán has promised “moral, legal and political revenge” on Hungary’s enemies, a statement which many interpret as a threat against Mr Orbán’s own political opponents.
Mr Orbán has also warned of a conspiracy masterminded by billionaire George Soros to install a new pro-immigration government, and has called on voters to "save Hungary".
However, his approach has helped galvanise Hungary’s fractured political opposition, with polls showing that Mr Orbán’s supermajority is now under threat.
The outcome of Sunday’s vote will be watched closely by other leaders in the region who may wish to emulate Mr Orbán’s methods.
Also on the podcast: Israel has rejected the prospect of an inquiry into the shooting dead of 16 Palestinians by its army at the Gaza-Israel border during demonstrations last Friday.
Mark Weiss reports from Jerusalem on the tensions in the region, which are expected to rise again on Friday after Muslim prayers.
World View is a weekly foreign affairs podcast from The Irish Times. Subscribe on Android, on Apple Podcasts, on Stitcher or on Soundcloud.
