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
Philosopher János Kis sees next year’s parliamentary election as a crucial episode in the ‘Hundred Years War’ between left and right in Hungary and doesn’t exclude a sweeping opposition victory. READ MORE
As opinion polls put the opposition parties combined at just over 50 per cent of probable voters, pundits in left-liberal weeklies ponder their chances and the tools available to them, to defeat Fidesz next year. READ MORE
A poet has stirred sharp controversy with her remark that a literary classic should be removed from the list of mandatory reading in Hungarian schools because it assigns a subordinate role to women. READ MORE
As their editions last week just missed the assault on Washington’s Capitol Hill by enraged Trump supporters, Hungarian weeklies now devote considerable space to reports and comments on the events. READ MORE
Commentators ponder whether a compromise is possible in the feud pitting Hungary and Poland against the majority of the EU member countries, over plans to make Union payments to member countries conditional on rule of law compliance. READ MORE
Critics of the government believe that a protracted COVID crisis and its impact on the economy might give the opposition a chance to send the government packing. READ MORE