Viktor Orbán leaves an oversized legacy for the global far-right

The only remotely civilized element of Viktor Orbán’s 16-year tenure as Hungarian prime minister was the way he left. After Europe prepared to reject the election and attempt to remain in power in the country he had recreated in his own illiberal image, Orbán quickly conceded to his rival Péter Magyar, whose Tisza Party gained a majority in parliament on Sunday. But the mess Orbán leaves behind goes far beyond Hungary’s borders.

When Orbán came to power in 2010, Barack Obama had been in his first term for just over a year, and many of us believed the former US president’s oft-repeated claim that the course of history was tilted towards justice; that the world is moving in a more liberal direction.