By the time the news broke on Friday that Klára Dobrev will face a single challenger, namely Péter Márki-Zay, in the second round of the primaries to choose the opposition prime ministerial candidate in next year’s elections, the weeklies were already on the newsstands. They could therefore not react to Gergely Karácsony’s withdrawal from the race, but most did comment on Márki–Zay’s surprisingly successful performance. READ MORE
Commentators across the political spectrum wonder whether, if they win the election next April, the opposition could or would revoke the Fundamental Law – even in the absence of the required two-thirds majority in Parliament. READ MORE
The weeklies ponder what kind of government will take shape after Chancellor Merkel, a key actor in German politics and international relations, leaves the scene after 16 years in office. They also try to weigh the potential consequences for German-Hungarian relations. READ MORE
Commentators try to make sense of the collapse of the Afghan government and the victory of the Taliban, as US forces have not yet fully withdrawn from Afghanistan. READ MORE
Four fiercely government-critical weeklies slam opposition leaders who have used what they see as morally questionable means in their political campaigns. All nonetheless readily assure their leaders that they find the government side even more guilty of such behaviour. READ MORE
Left-wing weeklies sharply dismiss the government initiative to hold a referendum on the sexual education of children as a pointless act of propaganda. A right-wing commentator only agrees with them on one point – namely that the plan should be read in the context of mutual efforts to mobilise supporters ahead of next year’s parliamentary election. READ MORE
Liberal and left-wing weeklies take it for granted that the government used counter-terrorism spyware to monitor its critics. READ MORE
The weeklies are sharply divided on the issues which pit the Hungarian government against the European Commission, but all consider these controversies serious and lasting. READ MORE
Reacting to the infringement procedure launched by the European Commission over LGBTQ issues, a pro-government historian thinks this controversy resembles the clash over asylum-seekers in the late 2010s. A left-wing commentator, by contrast, sees a clear political motive behind the ‘child protection law’ identified as homophobic by the European Commission. READ MORE
As the Socialist Party expels its former chairman and vice chairman, a left-wing weekly expects a series of defections in protest. READ MORE