Commentators from the political centre wonder if the anti-government demonstrations on January 2 mark a turning point in Hungarian politics. They suggest that the presence of tens of thousands of Hungarians on the streets shows that the Orbán government is losing support. Right-wing commentators, on the other hand, claim that the opposition uses the NGOs for its own purposes. READ MORE
All commentators agree that 2012 will be even tougher than 2010. But they disagree on the reasons, and on the best policy to follow. READ MORE
PM Viktor Orbán’s Christmas interview in the main pro-government daily, Magyar Nemzet sparks rather different reactions from each side of the political spectrum. Left wing Népszabadság believes that cabinet policy will lead the country to an “unforeseeable future”, while right wing Magyar Hírlap questions the value of hard-headedness in tough times. READ MORE
While newspaper columnists agree that the latest clash between Hungary and the IMF/EU delegation came at the worst possible moment, a leading conservative analyst suggests that it was only a first round of talks, and expects the delegations to return. READ MORE
Left-wing commentators condemn Prime Minister Viktor Orbán for refusing to join the new fiscal deal of the European Union. A right-wing columnist thanks Prime Minister David Cameron of Great Britain for rejecting the package and thus winning time and space for others to ponder what to do. READ MORE
Calls for the Minister of the Economy to resign are becoming more frequent, and are discussed by commentators from both sides of the political spectrum. A left wing columnist accuses PM Viktor Orbán of whipping up hatred, and calls upon moderate Fidesz politicians to intervene. His right wing counterpart favours a government compromise between employers and employees, rather than between the government and its opponents. READ MORE
“A curse on you, Slovak politicians!” – thunders radical columnist Zsolt Bayer in Magyar Hírlap, after an elderly Hungarian woman lost her Slovak citizenship, as a consequence of being granted citizenship by Hungary. READ MORE
A left-wing commentator believes the government wants to bring the judiciary under its own control, while a right-wing columnist thinks the reform will finally put an end to the left-wing domination of the courts. READ MORE
A staunchly pro-government commentator calls upon all leading politicians in the Northern Hungarian town of Esztergom, including those on the right-wing, to step down because they are incapable of cooperating with each other. He believes that the kind of irrational intolerance which they display is a nationwide illness. READ MORE
Left wing papers call for PM Viktor Orbán and National Economy Minister György Matolcsy to resign after Moody’s downgraded Hungary to junk status. There are striking differences of interpretation, meanwhile, between the two pro-government dailies. READ MORE