Egyeduralmat

Egyeduralmat is a Hungarian term used in political science and historical discourse to describe the state or condition in which political power is concentrated in the hands of a single ruler or a tightly centralized center, with limited or no effective checks by other institutions. The word combines elements meaning single or sole and rule or domination, signaling rule by one actor rather than shared sovereignty. In scholarly usage, egyeduralmat is often discussed in contrast to pluralistic governance, constitutionalism, and robust checks and balances, and it is commonly associated with autocratic or personalist forms of governance.

The concept is applied to both historical and contemporary contexts. It can characterize various regimes where authority is centralized, including absolute monarchies and personalist dictatorships, as well as modern administrations where formal democratic structures exist but power is effectively centralized, censorship is used, and opposition is restricted. Proponents and critics debate its implications: advocates may argue that centralization can enable swift decision-making, while critics warn that it undermines accountability, civil liberties, and institutional resilience, increasing susceptibility to arbitrary decisions and policy inconsistency.

In Hungarian discourse, egyeduralmat may appear in academic writing, political commentary, and comparative studies as a way to classify regimes lacking a robust separation of powers, even when institutions persist nominally. See also autocracy, absolutism, centralization, personal rule, and constitutionalism.