Newspapers are full of mostly cautious speculation about the fate of the National Bank under György Matolcsy who hasserved so far as Minister for National Economy. While some commentators see his appointment as a coup, others point out that the markets had taken the change for granted. READ MORE
Analysts ponder the message and the wider implications of a first decision by the Constitutional Court to strike down mandatory voter registration. READ MORE
In the wake of a week-long series of student protests, the main pro-government daily urges new policy priorities. READ MORE
Columnists across the political spectrum deem the higher education reform announced last week improvised and drastic and believe that it will undermine the government’s credibility. READ MORE
While centre-left columnists find the decision self-destructive, and suggest that it plays into the hands of Fidesz, centre-right bloggers celebrate it as a triumph of principles over political pressure. Some analysts forecast a split in the party, while others claim it was high time for LMP to decide where it stands. Major right-wing papers have not commented on the decision as yet. READ MORE
Most commentators deplore the decision of the Hungarian government to transfer Ramil Sahib Safarov to Azerbaijan to serve his life sentence for the killing of an Armenian man in Budapest in 2004. Analysts believe Hungary should have suspected that despite Azeri assurances to the contrary, the man would be released upon his arrival in Baku. READ MORE
A right-wing commentator, echoing the government’s claims, believes that the Orbán government’s widely criticised ’unorthodox’ economic measures are being copied by various European countries. A centrist online news site, however, finds such comparisons unconvincing. READ MORE
Commentators from across the political spectrum are trying to make sense of a report released by the fact-finding committee investigating whether President Pál Schmitt was guilty of plagiarism in his 1992 doctoral thesis. Commentators from both the right and the left believe that the President should step down. READ MORE
A right-wing columnist wonders why the police investigates journalists who identified the policemen beating up protesters during the 2006 riots, instead of prosecuting the violent perpetrators who, she believes, acted on the orders of Ferenc Gyurcsány’s left-wing government. READ MORE
While left wing commentators see the PM’s speech as an act of political PR and miss a sense of dynamism in his words, their right wing counterparts view the PM’s address on Tuesday as an expression of optimism. Bloggers agree that this was Viktor Orbán’s most pragmatic speech in years. READ MORE