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.