Opinions diverge on how successful the government and the opposition have been in tackling the paedophile pardon crisis and on Hungary’s long-drawn-out reluctance to ratify Sweden’s NATO membership. READ MORE
Commentators assess a wide range of issues connected to the paedophile pardon scandal, from the role of women in politics to why the opposition parties seem unable to profit from the failures on the government side. READ MORE
Just as last week, when weeklies went to print too early to comment on President Novák’s resignation in the wake of the paedophile pardon scandal, this week they were already on the stands when former Culture Minister Zoltán Balog resigned as chief Bishop of the Calvinist church for his role in convincing the President to pardon a man convicted for assisting a paedophile offender. Nor could they react to the demonstration of tens of thousands of people in Budapest on Friday night. Commentators discuss the resignations of the past week and why despite successive crises, the government’s position appears unshaken. READ MORE
Weeklies went to print before Prime Minister Orbán pledged to amend the constitution, to make it impossible for the President to pardon crimes related to paedophilia. The issue is only analysed by opposition-leaning commentators, some of whom predicted President Novák’s and even former Justice Minister Judit Nagy’s resignation. The main topic covered by pro-government weeklies is what they perceive to be the wrong direction in which the European Union is moving. READ MORE
Weekly newspapers went to print before Prime Minister Orbán agreed with the rest of the member countries on Thursday on the contentious issue of financial assistance to Ukraine. Several commentaries are devoted to the tension developing between Hungary and its western allies, nevertheless. READ MORE
Commentators agree that hindering first Finland’s then Sweden’s accession to NATO, as well as being sanctioned by the European Union and openly criticised by the US administration, have put Hungary in a unique position within the Western alliance, although they offer conflicting explanations. READ MORE
Two radical and two moderate analyses from both sides of the political spectrum offer diametrically opposed evaluations of the first controversial steps by the new Polish government to consolidate its political positions. READ MORE
Liberal commentators think the economy is in a trap as it must choose between high inflation or stagnation. Pro-government economists predict moderate but steady growth. READ MORE
Opposition-leaning commentators depict a pessimistic image of Hungary’s political future, while their pro-government counterparts hope that the country has left the difficulties of the past two years behind. READ MORE
As they all went to print before the start of the EU summit the previous week, weekly newspapers try to make sense of the Prime Minister’s surprise move, one week on. READ MORE