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
Commentators across the political spectrum wonder whether, if they win the election next April, the opposition could or would revoke the Fundamental Law – even in the absence of the required two-thirds majority in Parliament. READ MORE
The weeklies went to print well before the end of the 52nd International Eucharistic Congress, which wound up in Budapest on Sunday. Opposition-leaning commentators accuse the government of using religion for political purposes, and contrast it with Pope Francis, whom they describe as an authentic believer. A pro-government analyst believes their criticism is disingenuous. READ MORE
Left-wing and liberal commentators believe that the Afghanistan crisis is the collective responsibility of the West. A conservative columnist think that since Western norms cannot be exported, the creation of multicultural societies in the West is also doomed to fail. 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to make sense of the collapse of the Afghan government and the victory of the Taliban, as US forces have not yet fully withdrawn from Afghanistan.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
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
Liberal and left-wing weeklies take it for granted that the government used counter-terrorism spyware to monitor its critics. READ MORE
The weeklies are sharply divided on the issues which pit the Hungarian government against the European Commission, but all consider these controversies serious and lasting. 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.
Commentators right across the political spectrum interpret the Hungarian team’s unexpected success and tragic exit from the European Football Championship as a political allegory. READ MORE