Welcome. This is Anastasia Yuglova bringing you the Cato Daily Podcast.

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The countries of Central Europe are in political turmoil.

The Czech Republic remains without a government.

Poland is plagued by corruption and Slovakia fairs no better.

Now Hungarian voters have discovered that they've been lied to for years by

Prime Minister Ferens Jirchani in order to win re-election.

He's now promised Hungarians an austerity package to win back their support.

Is it possible?

Assistant Director of the Project on Global Economic Liberty Marion Tupi

ventures a guess.

Central European politics has gotten very messy these days, hasn't it?

Yes, it has.

If you look where Central Europe was a year ago and where it is today, obviously there

has been a great deal of difference.

A year ago, Central Europe was held to be an example for other countries to follow.

There was a very high economic growth, stable democracies, Central European countries, there is to say

Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary, just joined NATO and the European Union.

In fact, there were held to be examples for Western European countries to follow.

There was a feeling that the economic success in Central Europe should be emulated by Western European Social Democratic States.

Today everything has changed.

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