Népszabadság believes the report submitted by the Prime Minister to Parliament on the conduct of the police force during the 2006 riots is part of a witch-hunt. The right-wing dailies demand a judicial inquiry into former Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány’s responsibility for the “acts of terror” unleashed by police commanders against peaceful citizens. READ MORE
The Socialist party is wrong to concentrate on its own political infighting instead of attacking the government’s economic policy – left and right wing newspapers agree. Népszabadság believes the Gyurcsány saga plays into the hands of Fidesz, while according to Magyar Nemzet, Ferenc Gyurcsány and his followers have decided to split the Socialist Party, because they cannot take it over. READ MORE
Left-wing papers are fiercely critical of the decision by the Budapest City Council to strip the writer Ákos Kertész of his honorary citizenship, while a leading right-wing commentator believes he should have surrendered it himself after having denigrated his fellow Hungarian citizens. READ MORE
Népszabadság discusses what it calls a ‘Houdini’ effect in cultural issues, which results in the disappearance of state subsidies. Magyar Nemzet, on the other hand, blames former left wing governments for the present crisis, and suggests changes to next year’s budget which would benefit lower wage earners.
READ MORE
On the fifth anniversary of the leaking of his infamous Őszöd speech, right wing commentators believe there are plenty of reasons to put former Socialist premier Ferenc Gyurcsány behind bars, while a left-liberal pundit suggests the case sets a dangerous precedent. READ MORE
Left-wing commentators accuse the chief prosecutor of acting on government orders, by launching an investigation into former PM Ferenc Gyurcsány. They suspect that the aim of the exercise is to terrorize the opposition, and divert attention from severe economic problems which the government is unable to solve. Pro-government journalists depict Gyurcsány as a guilty man who poses as an innocent victim. READ MORE
Left-wing commentators accuse Orbán of sending an anti-market message with the six point plan outlined in Parliament on Monday. A pro-government pundit acknowledges the risks of such an unorthodox strategy, but finds the proposals fair and reasonable. READ MORE
Commentators, including right-wing business analysts, find few kind words for a planned legislation, which would allow individuals who are heavily indebted in foreign currencies to pay off their mortgages at much improved exchange rates. The government’s idea to introduce a new luxury tax is received more kindly, although it will have to be approved by the European Union before it can be implemented. READ MORE
Left wing commentators are extremely critical of the measures announced by the Prime Minister and the Economy Minister on Tuesday. The right wing daily Magyar Nemzet reminds readers that it was the previous Socialist governments which ran the country so deeply into debt. READ MORE
Right-wing commentators sharply condemn a socialist writer for his bitter words about the Hungarian people as a whole. A left-wing commentator agrees with them, but mainly because the left-wing writer plays into the hands of the worst right-wingers.