The Hungarian Asylum System : A case study on how the Hungarian asylum system changed after the European Asylum Crisis in the light of an increased populism

The aim with the research is to examine how the Hungarian asylum system has changed since after the asylum crisis that occurred in 2015. This is done by looking at the increased populism within the country as a factor of the changes and responses from the Hungarian government. In order to see how populist the leading party Fidesz in Hungary is, a definition of populism is taken from Cas Mudde. A definition of radical right parties is also taken from Mudde, in order to see whether or not the leading party Fidesz fit into this description. The research is a qualitative case study. Information that is used in the research is taken mainly from books and electronical sources, from different European Union institutions and from international organizations such as Amnesty International. The Hungarian national legislation has been a central part of the analysis in order to see how the Hungarian government has responded to the asylum crisis by changing existing laws regarding immigration and asylum. In the results, what can be found is that the Hungarian asylum system has changed since after 2015 in the light of an increased populism with tightening procedures, criminalization of irregular entry and violations of the rights of refugees. Hungary has been facing critique from the EU and international organizations for how the country has handled the situation with the asylum seekers and refugees. The findings also show that the leading party Fidesz, with its leader Viktor Orbán, can be seen as populistic according to the definition of Cas Mudde.