A week before the Tapolca by-election, a conservative analyst admits that the stakes are indeed high for Fidesz, but criticises Cabinet Minister János Lázár for warning local voters of the possible negative consequences of choosing opposition parties. READ MORE
Left-wing magazines point out how damaging the charge levelled against the Prime Minister by his former close ally is. Liberal pundits think the uncertainty about former real or imagined police informants should have been settled long time ago by publishing all Communist secret service files, while right-wing commentators call Mr Simicska’s allegations sheer slander. READ MORE
Conservative commentators agree with the government’s plan to send 100 soldiers to Iraq’s Kurdish region to serve as guards in two international bases and escort convoys along the road between the two. READ MORE
Commentators agree that the anti-government candidate won the vacant Veszprém seat in Parliament because he is seen as an outsider who does not belong to either the government or the opposition. Thus his victory is a harbinger of a new phase of the game where government candidates can be beaten but the opposition is not a credible challenger. READ MORE
As Fidesz’ support declines and Jobbik’s base strengthens, pundits from across the political spectrum wonder if and how Fidesz should react to the emerging radical right-wing challenge. READ MORE
Commentators wonder how far the feud between Prime Minister Orbán and his former friend and treasurer will go, and what impact it will have on the main right-wing media outlets which are ultimately owned by the latter. READ MORE
Hungary’s weeklies put Chancellor Merkel’s talks in Budapest on Monday and President Putin’s visit two weeks later in the context of Hungary’s position as a NATO member country that has consistently voted against sanctions against Moscow, while working on new joint projects with Russia. READ MORE
A leading pro-government journalist quotes international comments in praise of PM Orbán, for deciding to convert mortgages denominated in foreign currencies before the surge of the Swiss Franc. The move helped hundreds of thousands of households avert catastrophic losses. READ MORE
Commentators across the political spectrum agree that after three consecutive easy electoral victories this year, the government is now under unexpected pressure. In their last issues before the end of the year, the weeklies tend to believe that the governing forces owe their difficulties to their own mistakes, although foreign pressure is also being mentioned among the causes. READ MORE
Commentators across the political spectrum find a Fidesz proposal to introduce mandatory drug tests for children highly controversial and potentially counterproductive. READ MORE