Weekly newspapers and magazines study the prospects of opposition parties in the Hungarian parliamentary elections due in just under six months’ time. Voices close to the opposition are optimistic, cautious or even critical of their own camp. A columnist close to the incumbent government, on the other hand, warns of a witch-hunt if the current opposition win. READ MORE
Left-wing and liberal commentators warmly welcome Márki-Zay as the opposition front-runner in next year’s parliamentary election but worry if he will be able to keep the disparate forces of the opposition united during the forthcoming six months. READ MORE
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
As DK luminaries and Jobbik’s leader accuse the mayors of Budapest and Hódmezővásárhely of plotting to reverse the result of the first round of the opposition primary, a left-wing analyst points out that pacts are normal in a two-round election. A former pro-Jobbik commentator condemns Jobbik for allying itself with Ferenc Gyurcsány’s party. 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to make sense of the collapse of the Afghan government and the victory of the Taliban, as US forces have not yet fully withdrawn from Afghanistan.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
Opposition-leaning weeklies ponder whether the row between most European governments and Hungary’s leaders over sexual education might ultimately lead to Hungary leaving the European Union, while pro-government outlets praise the Hungarian government for defending traditional values.
The editor-in-chief of a left-wing weekly promises impartial coverage of the upcoming opposition primaries, while a close associate of Budapest Mayor and potential opposition frontrunner Gergely Karácsony ponders the possibility of rolling back pivotal legislation carried through by Viktor Orbán’s cabinet. Finally, a political scientist ruminates on the distribution of power between government and opposition within the Hungarian party system. READ MORE
he German Foreign Ministry has rejected Hungarian protests against the sacking of a Hungarian football coach in Berlin. Commentators’ opinions diverge on the rights and wrongs, but even opposition leaning columnists tend to believe that firing the coach was a disproportionate punishment. READ MORE