Elections are devices, through which the abstract concept of representation gains its specified institutional form, therefore they are highly relevant for populists. The paper examines the ...illiberal-populist project of redesigning the legal framework of elections in Hungary after 2010, focusing on the role of the Hungarian Constitutional Court (HCC) in reviewing electoral law as well as interacting with the ordinary courts through electoral adjudication. It is argued that although a distinct ‘populist imagination’ (Müller) of elections is discernible, there is no special populist electoral politics, rather the ‘inherent authoritarianism of democracy’ (Pildes) is exacerbated. In Hungary the electoral legislation was shrewdly tailored to the governmental parties’ needs, and electoral politics is constantly subjected to instrumental changes. It is argued that although apex courts could be key players in checking electoral manipulation, the HCC did not protect effectively the integrity of electoral law, and at a later stage it even intervened in an arbitrary and arguably politically biased manner. The paper argues that the Hungarian example underscores the need for enhanced court activism in terms of electoral law, especially when populists already came to power.
On October 13, 2019 local elections were held in Hungary. Even though the opposition parties had to fight an uphill battle, they achieved significant success not only in Budapest, but also in other ...big cities. The aim of this article is to put the results in context in order to give a more accurate picture of the current Hungarian situation.
A 65-year-old patient presented with severe osteoarthritis of the knee, 47 years after a severe polytrauma in which he had presented diaphyseal fractures of the left femur and tibia. These fractures ...had been treated conservatively and had healed with major deformities. He underwent total knee arthroplasty with navigation assistance. This allowed for optimal component positioning and restoration of a correct limb alignment. The early functional result was excellent. Navigation assistance appears of particular interest for total knee arthroplasty in such cases with complex post-traumatic diaphyseal deformities.
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