"Democracy is a system in which parties lose elections." (@adamprz.bsky.app)

Sometimes that's even true for non-democracies.

#Hungary

Reuters says Tisza has at least 135 seats: 133 is the constitutional supermajority!

Live by highly disproportional electoral systems (which Orbán made even more disproportional with the extra compensation votes awarded to winners), die by highly disproportional electoral systems.

Hungary election: Viktor Orbán concedes with opposition on course for landslide election win - follow live Hungary's prime minister has been ousted after 16 years in power, with Péter Magyar set to be the country's new leader.

Tisza pulling off a win is a big deal, not just domestically, but as a potential playbook for reversing democratic backsliding in the region. Orbán conceding and congratulating them is just as monumental (feels strange to say, but here we are).

www.bbc.com/news/live/c2...

Keeping this for the future: Orbán on TV saying that the election results are painful but clear. This feels momentous. #Hungary

I’d especially like to encourage women to apply. We’re a fantastic department with excellent scholars, in beautiful Vienna. Data shows that women are less likely to apply for positions than equally qualified men (Muriel Niederle & Lise Vesterlund 2011), so if you’re considering it, please go for it!

😶‍🌫️😶‍🌫️

Job vacancy announcement for a postdoctoral position at the University of Vienna Department of Government, starting August/September 2026. Research focus includes political representation, party competition, political institutions, political economy, political behavior, or related fields. Application deadline: 29 April 2026. Full details are also available through the shared link.

🚨 Job Alert 🚨

We have an opening for a 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗱𝗼𝗰 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 @stawi-univie.bsky.social starting Aug/Sep 2026!

Focus: political representation, party competition, political institutions, political economy, political behavior, or related fields

📅Apply by 29 April 2026

jobs.univie.ac.at/job/Universi...

Workshop graphic for the CSDI Workshop 2026 in Vienna featuring the logos of CSDI, MEDem, the Generations & Gender Programme, and Meeting Destination Vienna above three event photos showing speakers presenting at the University of Vienna.

🌍📊 From survey data quality to research infrastructures:

The #CSDIWorkshop 2026 in Vienna brought together researchers and practitioners to discuss current challenges and innovations in comparative survey design and implementation.

Read more in our latest #MEDemBlog: www.medem.eu/csdi-worksho...

I've been asked over the last few days/weeks what I think will happen on April 12th in Orbán's 🇭🇺 (and the aftermath), so here's my assessment, looking at everything as it stands now 🧵

tldr: It's complicated, and no one really knows (and those who say they do are either lying or overly confident) 1/

Demokratie und Menschenrechte – eine komplizierte Beziehung? Wie viel Macht darf eine demokratische Mehrheit haben und wo müssen Grundrechte sie begrenzen?

Darf eine demokratische Mehrheit alles entscheiden?
Oder gibt es Grenzen, die selbst eine Mehrheit nicht überschreiten darf? Das Verhältnis zwischen #Demokratie und #Menschenrechten ist nicht immer konfliktfrei. 💭
"Wohin steuert die Demokratie?" 🎮 #semesterfrage
Diskutiere mit im @derstandard.at ⤵️

Marvin Stecker- Marta Vukovic - Sylvia Kritzinger - Hajo Boomgarden: Austria's Democratic Challenge 📖 AUTHLIB Country Paper: Austria - Explore how illiberalism manifests in Austrian politics and how committed citizens are to democracy.

Want to know all the details?

Read the full paper by Marvin Stecker, @martav.bsky.social, Sylvia Kritzinger, and @hajoboo.bsky.social here:

www.authlib.eu/country-pape...

Am Rednerpult Klubobmann Herbert Kickl (FPÖ) ©Parlamentsdirektion/​Johannes Zinner

New blog post ✒️

What is the state of Austrian democracy and how has the FPÖ reshaped the country’s political landscape?

Find out more about Austria’s democratic challenge in our blogpost on a recent publication by @authlibeu.bsky.social

staatswissenschaft.univie.ac.at/news-detaila...

EPSS Travel Grants for 2026 Belfast conference:

PhD students & junior scholars @ institutions in European countries that are often underrepresented, can apply for full fee waiver & £500 stipend

Apply: lnkd.in/ehXjhCgf
Deadline: March 8, 11:59pm GMT.

More details: lnkd.in/eZTP5sWR

I know the AI hype can drive anxiety about academic productivity, but please remember that an additional paper can have negative returns to both society and your reputation.

Congrats Lea!!

Congrats Tim! ☺️

Bad Bunny: TOGETHER WE ARE AMERICA

Shot from the stands of the Bad Bunny halftime show.

What a moment.

#DemocraticBacksliding: The erosion of US democracy under Trump is steeper than any recent precedent, including Hungary, Venezuela, Turkey, R//ZZ.l'a/nd

Source: Financial Times @jburnmurdoch.ft.com www.ft.com/content/b474...

Bruce Springsteen - Streets Of Minneapolis (Official Audio) YouTube video by Bruce Springsteen

I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis. It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.

Stay free

Major congrats, so well deserved! 🥳

ICE ended up returning the man, Saly, after realizing he’s a fucking US citizen with no criminal record, per his sister-in-law. These fucking animals.

Marta Vuković @martav.bsky.social @univie.ac.at shared insights from her work with Sylvia Kritzinger on how justifications shape citizens' support for party ban and ultimately for militant democracy.

📊 AUTHLIB has extensively studied voters' attitude to explore the societal base of illiberalism and their support for democracy. The presentations at our concluding conference show the many issues that can be studied through the data collected in the AUTHLIB project.

We (@stawi-univie.bsky.social) are hiring a PhD researcher:

- focus: representation, party competition, pol behavior, pol institutions, pol econ, or related
- 4 years, starting 1 Oct 26
- 30h/week, incl some teaching
- deadline: 28 Jan 26

jobs.univie.ac.at/job/Universi...

And more job opportunities: @univie.ac.at aims to fill 40 (!) doctoral positions in the social sciences, humanities and cultural studies

careers.univie.ac.at/en/praedoc/p...

If you are in Budapest next week, don't miss our concluding conference! Register by January 4 and join us!

Our 32-country conjoint study on which societal characteristics citizens prioritize is now published at @bjpols.bsky.social

w. excellent @anjaneundorf.bsky.social @sirianned.bsky.social @aykutozturk.bsky.social

📣 AUTHLIB Final Conference

🗺️ Mapping the Illiberal Challenge: Patterns, Drivers, Consequences
📅 Jan 8–9, 2026
📍 @weareceu.bsky.social, Budapest

Two days on illiberalism, democracy & democratic responses.

👉 Register today to secure your spot: www.authlib.eu/authlib-fina...

🚨 New in Nature+Science!🚨
AI chatbots can shift voter attitudes on candidates & policies, often by 10+pp
🔹Exps in US Canada Poland & UK
🔹More “facts”→more persuasion (not psych tricks)
🔹Increasing persuasiveness reduces "fact" accuracy
🔹Right-leaning bots=more inaccurate