Opposition hopes pinned on COVID crisis

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

Pride week rainbow flags stripped from city council buildings

As police launch a criminal procedure against a far-right former MP who stripped off the LGBT rainbow flag from two district council buildings,  a conservative critic of the government doubts whether exhibiting the flag was a wise move on the part of opposition city leaders. READ MORE

Weeklies on the end of Index

Opposition-leaning weeklies predict that Index will never be the same again, following the resignation of over 80 journalists and staff, who quit last week citing their fears of government interference. A pro-government weekly sees an opposition plot behind the conflict. READ MORE

Debate on World War One Freemasonry

In the new Hungarian Historikerstreit, right-wing commentators condemn mainstream left-liberal historians for denying what they consider to be the influence of freemasonry in producing the Trianon Peace Treaty. They maintain that the real controversy should be about the supposedly secret operations of internationalist liberal networks in our age. READ MORE

Liberals regard Hungary as a former democracy

A liberal columnist suggests that Hungary is no longer a democracy. A centrist critic of the government agrees with much of the criticism but deems that judgment exaggerated. A pro-government analyst believes threats to democracy are coming from outside the country. READ MORE

Slovakia’s Trianon gesture

A senior commentator welcomes the friendly gesture made by Slovakia’s new prime minister towards the Hungarian minority on the centenary of the Trianon peace treaty. READ MORE

Opposition refuses accelerated vote on emergency extension

Opposition refuses accelerated vote on emergency extension

A pro-government columnist accuses the opposition of using Monday’s parliamentary session to smear the Prime Minister, while a critic of the government deems the attitude of the parliamentary majority recklessly uncompromising. An independent analyst warns against political hysteria on both sides. READ MORE

Weeklies on the coronavirus epidemic

The weeklies went to print before the Prime Minister’s announcement on Friday evening of a heightened state of emergency and the closure of all schools. All commentators write gravely about the virus, although not without political overtones. READ MORE

Weeklies’ New Year editorials

In their first issues of 2020, the weeklies try to make sense of what happened in 2019 and assess what Hungary may expect in the New Year. READ MORE

Scandal makes local election contest unexpectedly close

Commentators see the case of the Fidesz mayor of the western city of Győr as particularly harmful for the government side, although sex videos and audio tapes discussing corruption have also surfaced involving local opposition politicians. READ MORE