Rising extremism in Hungary is one of the most alarming political developments in Europe. The latest sign came Sunday when voters in the country’s western Tapolca district elected a candidate from the far-right Jobbik party in a special vote. If the result is officially confirmed, it will be the first time Jobbik has won a parliamentary seat in a by-election rather than through party lists.
Jobbik is the third most powerful party in Hungary. In last year’s general election, it garnered 20% of ballots. The party is openly anti-Semitic. A Jobbik leader in 2012 called on the government to “tally up people of Jewish ancestry” since they “pose a national security risk.” A Jobbik member of Parliament has spat on a Budapest Holocaust memorial.