The first analyses following the elections for the European Parliament agree that the Socialist Party was the main loser of the day. The absolute majority of Fidesz was no surprise, given the low turnout, and Jobbik was expected by most observers to come in second. But the poor showing of the MSZP was a shock for left-wingers and a cause for much schadenfreude for the Right. READ MORE
A pro-government columnist says Ukraine is not simply a victim of Russian aggression but a battleground between the US and Russia, and Kiev can only keep eastern Ukraine if it agrees to grant autonomy to local ethnic Russian residents. An opposition daily thinks Hungary has a responsibility towards beyond-border Hungarians but Orbán’s call for autonomy and dual citizenship for Hungarians in Transcarpathia was likely to create tensions in Ukraine and was therefore a cynical move. Another opposition columnist asks what consequences the Ukraine crisis and Orbán’s statement may have for the autonomy plans of Hungarian-speaking Szeklers in Romania. READ MORE
A left-wing columnist thinks the EP election turnout next weekend will be low, as the stakes are less than clear for most Hungarians. A liberal commentator agrees, adding that the only question is whether small left-wing forces can overcome the 5 per cent hurdle. An independent analyst thinks the Hungarian campaign has little to say about Europe, but if Eurosceptic parties pick up too many votes, the two largest European parliamentary groups will have to stick together. READ MORE
A left-wing daily admits that the figure is impressive but notes that it is mostly due to multinational car manufacturers and EU funded construction projects. A pro-government daily ridicules the left for celebrating the EU and trying to explain away the upswing in the Hungarian economy. READ MORE
According to a pro-government daily, the Hungarian left is soft on Béla Biszku, and asks for a symbolic sentence, but did not protest when the Wiesenthal Center accused Hungary of not being tough enough on Sándor Képíró, who stood trial for War crimes in 1942, and was acquitted. Another pro-government daily says Biszku cannot be forgiven for he never admitted his guilt. READ MORE
Left and liberal papers question the wisdom of the prison sentence handed down to Béla Biszku, a former high ranking communist, for war crimes committed after the 1956 revolution. They echo the arguments of the defence that the trial was politically motivated. READ MORE
Baffled right-wing commentators find the transvestite winner hard to accept. One claims that Eurovision attracts gay audiences, another calls the outcome of the vote an aberration. Their left-wing counterpart thinks Austria may benefit from the Conchita Wurst case. READ MORE
A pro-government commentator suggests that Mr Orbán wants to serve the country as a whole, but the opposition will make national reconciliation impossible. A left-wing daily reads the speech as proof that the Prime Minister will continue to define people of different political views as enemies. A liberal paper thinks that the Prime Minister’s words about national unity hide an intent to suppress liberal and left-wing opinion and initiatives. READ MORE
Most commentators agree that Hungary has made relatively little progress since it joined the European Union ten years ago, despite a net financial transfer amounting to about 1.5 per cent of its GDP. Opinions diverge however on the reasons as well as on the direction European integration should follow. READ MORE
Left-liberal commentators reject the Prime Minister’s statement, which justifies the controversial statue project as a gesture to remember all victims of Nazi occupation. One even calls the statue a Nazi monument that will be blown up. A pro-government columnist says it is obvious that the monument expresses the condemnation of Hungary’s occupation by Hitler’s army and that the government has expressed its grief over the Holocaust and admitted the guilt of Hungarian collaborators in no uncertain terms. READ MORE