Commentators evaluating the results of the weekend snap elections in four municipalities suggest that the opposition parties are unlikely to become a real match for the governing Fidesz-KDNP alliance any time soon. READ MORE
Although the next election is scheduled for the spring of 2014, most observers believe the campaign is already underway. PM Orbán’s Fidesz-KDNP alliance leads the polls, but analysts do not rule out an opposition victory. READ MORE
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. READ MORE
A left-wing pundit chastises public officials and the conservative press for what he calls their pathetic attempts to deny the charges levelled against the government in the West. Former chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel of Austria takes up PM Orbán’s defence. Otherwise, observers across the political spectrum agree that Hungary faces significant difficulties in the months ahead. READ MORE
A leading left-wing commentator praises President János Áder’s inauguration address and scolds leading MSZP (Socialist Party) officials who collectively refused to attend the ceremony. READ MORE
A left-wing commentator thinks the government majority is the only beneficiary of the latest far-right scandal. A pro-government columnist, on the other hand, suggests that alarmism is promoted by the radical right and opposition parties alike. READ MORE
Most, but not all left-wing commentators believe that the future President of the Republic will play the tune of the government and will therefore not be the kind of balancing factor the head of the state is expected to be. An MEP colleague of Mr Áder says divisions are too deep for anyone to possibly satisfy the expectations of all political sides. READ MORE
Pro-government commentators suggest that the government should not cave in to political pressure from the European Union and the IMF, while opposition newspapers warn that by refusing to accept the rules of the game Hungary’s leaders are taking serious and unnecessary risks. READ MORE
In his regular lead column in 168 óra, Tamás Mészáros suggests that the Prime Minister’s radical “freedom fighter’s” rhetoric is aimed at keeping his camp together amid the present financial difficulties. READ MORE
Rumours about an abandoned Western plan to topple Hungary’s prime minister are interpreted by a leading right-wing commentator as proof that what liberals and left-wingers have always dismissed as radical, paranoid conspiracy theories, were actually true. READ MORE