Why the Backsliding Paradigm Matters

Viktor Orban, __________ of Hungary for sixteen years, lost his re-election bid earlier this week.

The simplest phrase to put in the blank is "prime minister". Some people have proposed more loaded terms like "strongman", "autocrat", and "dictator". But he did lose his re-election bid earlier this week, prompting comments that these more loaded terms, especially the d-word, might have been hyperbolic.