According to Népszabadság ‘the air is getting thinner’ around the President of the National Bank – meaning that he is running out of breathing room – and he should consider resigning. Magyar Nemzet welcomes what it calls a break with old dogmas. READ MORE
Magyar Nemzet cautions the west against imposing sanctions on Ukraine. He believes punishing the Ukrainians would be unjust and could backfire. READ MORE
Analysts doubt that the opposition to the left of Fidesz can run in a united block at the parliamentary elections in 2014, although under the new electoral system separate forces will only have a very feeble chance of gaining a parliamentary majority. READ MORE
A conservative columnist welcomes the government’s plan to buy German DZ’s share in Takarékbank, a small savings bank, which carries out about 5 per cent of all banking transactions. She believes this is a first step towards a sounder ownership structure in the banking world. READ MORE
A pro-government columnist joins left-wing commentators in criticizing a Fidesz MP for downplaying domestic violence. After the governing party promises to explicitly sanction domestic violence, left-wing commentators welcome the decision and note that democracy “may not be lost”, after all. READ MORE
Left-wing commentators claim that Fidesz wants to send women back to the kitchen, after a Fidesz MP suggested that the low birthrate is the main problem with Hungarian families. A pro-government columnist contends that the opposition is deliberately misinterpreting the statement. READ MORE
Right-wing pundits believe that the criminal inquiry into the suspected war crimes of the former Communist politician is an important symbolic act which could serve historical reconciliation. Liberal columnists, however, worry that the government wants to use Biszku’s case against the opposition parties. READ MORE
Commentators on both the right and the left agree that former Premier Gyurcsány’s decision to start a hunger strike in protest against the government’s electoral reform is a piece of theatre which cannot be taken seriously, and will do little to mobilize the masses. READ MORE
Left-wing dailies accuse Mr Orbán of lying about the harsh conditions the IMF has allegedly set to start negotiations about a standby credit line for Hungary. Pro-government dailies, on the other hand, defend the Prime Minister’s resolve not to give in to IMF dictates and to prepare an alternative proposal. READ MORE
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s announcement of a cooperation plan with neighbouring countries is dismissed by left and liberal commentators as arrogant and unrealistic, while Magyar Nemzet defends it as an important initiative. READ MORE