A left-wing columnist believes the new exceptional powers under which the new taxes will be levied are motivated by an insatiable appetite for power, while his pro-government counterpart sees them as an attempt to serve social justice. READ MORE
A liberal weekly believes the special powers will be used to take swift measures of the kind used by the government during the Covid pandemic emergency. READ MORE
A pro-government columnist believes Hungary would be happy with a non-binding embargo on Russian crude oil, as suggested by the German Deputy Chancellor. READ MORE
As the government rejects a proposed ban on imported Russian oil – unless the full cost is reimbursed by the European Union, a right-wing analyst praises that position as one rooted in democracy. READ MORE
Opposition-leaning weeklies accuse the government of conniving with Moscow, by rejecting the proposed ban on importing Russian crude oil without significant compensation from the European Union. Pro-government commentators, on the other hand, argue that Hungary’s position is dictated by plain common sense. READ MORE
A liberal commentator notes that the American Conservative Conference in Budapest has been ‘snubbed’ by high profile American personalities, while a pro-government columnist welcomes PM Orbán’s 12-point roadmap for conservatives to overcome liberals. READ MORE
In an interview with an independent online news site, the Mayor of Budapest paints a gloomy picture of the current state of the opposition. READ MORE
A pro-government commentator dismisses the suspicion voiced by liberals that János Volner’s Huxit party is a Fidesz project aimed at testing popular reaction to the idea of leaving the European Union. READ MORE
A left-wing pundit sees the Prime Minister’s inaugural speech as a harbinger of lasting confrontation with the rest of Europe, while a right-wing columnist describes the same words as raising hope for Europe. READ MORE
A pro-government commentator and his left-wing counterpart both note the new president’s fierce condemnation of ‘Putin’s aggression’ against Ukraine in her inaugural speech. But they equally point out her remarks cautioning against sanctions, which she said would harm Hungarians more than Russia. What is welcomed by the former, however, is seen as a shortcoming by the latter. READ MORE