Népszabadság welcomes former Prime Minister Bajnai’s re-entry into the political arena, although the last left-wing premier has not yet made it clear whether he would be ready to lead an anti-government coalition. READ MORE
Népszabadság believes Hungary’s chief IMF negotiator will just have to sign the draft he will be shown in Washington, no matter what the conditions are. Magyar Nemzet contends however that the government should not just listen to what the IMF wants. READ MORE
Left and right wing commentators agree that the Hungarian government has no choice but to reach an agreement with the European Union and the International Monetary Fund. While Népszabadság and Népszava urge the cabinet to return to European norms, both Magyar Nemzet and Magyar Hírlap believe that there is no need to crawl on all fours to the lenders. READ MORE
The Forint stopped sinking on Thursday after a soothing statement by the Hungarian IMF negotiator. Prior to that statement, commentators from both right and left warned that the government should be more cooperative with the EU and the IMF in order to restore the confidence of international investors. READ MORE
A left-wing columnist finds Le Monde’s latest caricature depicting Orbán as a radical right-wing politician a clear overstatement and a false hyperbole. But he warns that the cartoon indicates that the West is highly critical of the course being followed by the Hungarian government. 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
Népszabadság thinks the government may put the badly needed IMF credit line at risk, rather than complying with Western demands. Magyar Nemzet, on the other hand, argues that the Hungarian economy would be in good shape had it not been for the IMF-loans taken out by the former Socialist government. READ MORE
Népszabadság accuses the Constitutional Court of cowardice for failing to rule, at its final session of the year, on complaints over the de facto nationalisation of the compulsory private pension funds. READ MORE
Right wing Magyar Nemzet is sarcastic about letters from the Chairman of the European Commission and the US Secretary of State to the Hungarian PM, while left wing Népszabadság speculates about the lack of public criticism towards Hungary on the part of the German government. 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