Zsuzsanna Szelényi is a Hungarian political thinker and foreign
policy specialist, Program Director at the CEU Democracy Institute,
author of ‘Tainted Democracy, Viktor Orbán and the Subversion of
Hungary, and Non-resident Senior Fellow with Center for European Policy
Analysis (CEPA).
Before joining the CEU Democracy Institute
Zsuzsanna was Richard von Weizsäcker fellow at the Robert Bosch Academy
and Fellow of the IWM’s Europe’s Futures program conducting research on
autocratization within the European Union.
In 2012 she was a
founding member of the opposition party ‘Together’ and was elected
Member of Parliament (2014-2018) in Hungary, where she covered foreign
policy, migration, and constitutional affairs.
From 1996-2010 she
served at the Council of Europe developing democracy all over Europe,
including conflict regions such as the Western Balkans and the countries
of Caucasus. From 2010-2012 she worked with international organizations
in North Africa and Central and Eastern Europe.
Ms. Szelenyi
started her career as a member of the liberal Fidesz party at the régime
change in 1988. She served as a Member of Parliament from 1990 but left
politics in 1994 for a professional career.
Ms. Szelenyi
completed GMAP of International Politics and Economics at the Fletcher
School of Law and Diplomacy. She held an MA in Psychology from the
University of Eotvos Lorand, and an MA in International Relations from
Corvinus University.