Left-wing and liberal commentators fulminate about the exemption of tobacco shops from the municipal ban on the sale of alcohol after 10 pm. A critical conservative blogger warns against overregulation. A pro-government columnist likens the Democratic Coalition’s initiative to paint the pavement in front of tobacco shops to Nazi practices. READ MORE
Commentators agree that it is difficult to interpret a conviction where no information is available to the public, not even the precise nature of the charge. They tend to believe the sentence is either ill-founded or justified, according to their political affiliations. READ MORE
A pro-government columnist maintains that the Tavares-report was accepted by a narrow margin, and suggests PM Orbán’s speech before the vote may have convinced many MEPs to abstain, rather than vote in favour. A former Hungarian centre-right MP writes in an opposition daily that Orbán is unfit to lead because he tolerates no compromise. READ MORE
The main left-wing daily claims the EU cannot do much about Mr Orbán’s domestic policies while the PM reaps applause at home as a champion of independence. Another leftist outlet ridicules Orbán’s notion that the West is in decline and Hungary has brought new solutions to the crisis of advanced societies. A pro-government columnist, on the other hand, points out that members of the EPP defended Orbán in Brussels and sees business interests behind the attacks on him and his policies. READ MORE
A pro-government columnist describes Gordon Bajnai’s visit to Transylvania as phoney and hypocritical. A Transylvanian news site, on the other hand, suggests Bajnai did not go to chase after votes but to listen to what Hungarians living in Romania had to tell him. READ MORE
A left-wing commentator finds it ironic that in the pan-European institution the Hungarian government should have been saved from humiliation by Moscow. According to his pro-government counterpart, the match ended in a draw, but the tug of war continues. READ MORE
Right-wing columnists continue to express disdain for far-right MPs who occupied the Speaker’s rostrum and repeatedly chanted the word “traitors,” while Parliament was voting on the new Land Act on Friday 21 June. A left-wing commentator calls for an immediate tax on leased arable land. READ MORE
Left-wing columnists fear further austerity measures. A pro-government pundit notes that although the excessive deficit procedure has been lifted, the government should not expect an end to criticism from the EU. A conservative commentator, on the other hand, hopes that Fidesz will call a truce with the EU. READ MORE
Left-wing pundits contend that the government is trying to downplay external criticism by labeling its adversaries as biased left-wing partisans. They also hint that as a result of the looming elections in the EU and Hungary, the debates between the country and the EU institutions will probably intensify. READ MORE
Commentators remember the former Prime Minister, and agree that Gyula Horn could become a key figure of the transition because he remained a committed Socialist. READ MORE