Ms Szelényi is a former politician and MP from Hungary. At the CEU Democracy Institute she is conducting research about how autocratic politics is influencing and shaping foreign relations in Europe and the Central and Eastern European region. She is leading the Democracy Institute Leadership Academy. As Richard von Weizsäcker fellow of the Robert Bosch Academy in Berlin and Fellow of the IWM’s Europe’s Futures program she wrote the book ‘Tainted Democracy, Viktor Orbán and the Subversion of Hungary’ was published in 2022. https://www.hurstpublishers.com/book/tainted-democracy/

In 2012-2018 Zsuzsanna was member and elected MP of the centrist political party ‘Together’ in Hungary. Earlier she was working as human development consultant with international organizations in North Africa and Central and Eastern Europe. In1996-2010 she served at the Council of Europe developing democracy programs in several European countries, including conflict regions such as the Western Balkans and the countries of Caucasus.

Ms. Szelényi started her political career as member of Fidesz, a youth party at the régime change in Hungary and served as Member of Parliament until 1994.

Ms Szelényi holds GMAP degree of International Politics from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, MA of Psychology of the University of Eotvos Lorand, and MA of International Relations of the Corvinus University in Budapest.

She lives in Budapest with her husband and three children.