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Gyurcsány cleared of casino real estate corruption charges


Commentators agree that in a dictatorship the charges levelled against former PM Ferenc Gyurcsány would not have been dropped. With just one exception: his long-term aide believes the real reason is PM Orbán’s weakening position.

Producer Andy Vajna dead


The leading pro-government daily bids farewell to Andy Vajna, praising his contribution to Hungarian film making. A liberal commentator suspects a fight over his media holding and casino concessions will follow.

TV2’s new ownership contested


As two rival tycoons claim to have bought Hungary’s number two commercial television company, analysts tried to disentangle the legal maze surrounding the matter.

PM Orbán’s ’State of the Nation’ address


Discussing the Prime Minister’s annual speech to his followers, commentators wonder if his exhortation to work and fight harder will be sufficient to reinvigorate the increasingly sluggish Fidesz electorate, which, despite the defeat of a pro-government candidate in last week’s by-election, is still incomparably stronger than its competitors.

Gyurcsány meets western ambassadors


A pro-government commentator condemns Ferenc Gyurcsány for asking the EU to partially freeze financial assistance to Hungary. He also thinks that earlier diplomatic intervention on Gyurcsány’s behalf casts doubts on the sincerity of American anticorruption moves.

Former PM Gyurcsány as a court witness


Commentators from both the left and right agree that former Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány has successfully stolen the show and managed to use the court hearing in a land swap deal to gain publicity and accuse his opponents of acting against national interest.

Bajnai ante portas


Left-wing pundits urge the Socialist Party to accept former PM Bajnai’s new political group as an equal ally. Mr Gyurcsány’s aide finds it unfair that “Together 2014” dissociates itself from the DK. A right-wing analyst argues that Bajnai represents a gloomy past, rather than a shining future.

Slot machines banned


In an unusually swift procedure, Parliament banned slot machines with immediate effect, except for those in casinos. Commentators both on the right and the left agree that it was the right decision, although the price is high: the loss of tens of billions in gambling revenues and tens of thousands ...

Rumours about Schmitt’s resignation: the President of Hungary in Christian Wulff’s footsteps?


Speculation about the impending resignation of Pál Schmitt continues in the press, as both the Government and the Office of the President maintain their silence about the plagiarism scandal.

Socialists on the verge of a split


The major left wing daily compares Ferenc Gyurcsány’s position to the Palikot Movement in Poland, while a right wing publicist believes that the former PM will end up disintegrating the Socialist Party.