Commenting on last weekend’s relatively incident-free gay pride parade in Budapest, Véleményvezér contends that most Hungarians have got used to the public presence of homosexuals, while gays, on the other hand, have also understood that they should not be unnecessarily provocative. READ MORE
A right-wing columnist downplays the importance of Elie Wiesel’s decision to return the highest Hungarian state honour in protest against what he sees as the government’s efforts to restore anti-Semitic icons. A left-wing pundit, on the other hand, believes that the case will receive international attention and further harm the image of the Orbán government. A centrist commentator notes that the previous socialist-liberal coalitions did much less against anti-Semitism than the current Fidesz government. READ MORE
Centrist analysts call the economic performance of the government disheartening, while right-wing commentators draw attention to a recent opinion poll according to which voters are still more satisfied with the present government than with the two previous ones.
Commentators assessing the Orbán government’s performance in its first two years in office all agree that Fidesz has not yet fulfilled its promises. But while left-wing pundits believe it is the fault of the Prime Minister”s mistaken policies, right-wing columnists blame former Socialist governments and international organizations for causing Hungary so many problems. READ MORE
A centrist analyst urges the government to increase military expenditure, and argues that peace does not come free of charge, and that Hungary should not expect her allies to defend her and get nothing in return. READ MORE
Left-wing commentators claim that the government leases large state-owned fields to its “oligarchs” at a reduced rate, instead of helping local family farms. Centrist analysts believe that the debate will create an opportunity for opposition parties to attract rural voters. A pro-government columnist, on the other hand, finds such left-wing criticism deeply unconvincing. READ MORE
Commenting on last weekend’s elections in France and Greece, a left-wing and a liberal conservative analyst both warn that the Hungarian government may be put under increasing international financial and political pressure as discontent with austerity measures increases throughout Europe. READ MORE
A conservative critic of the right-wing government fears that Hungary’s rulers think they can get away without an IMF credit line agreement. READ MORE
Columnists are rather sceptical about the rumours of an alleged coup against PM Viktor Orbán. Népszabadság pokes fun at the story, while Véleményvezér puts forward serious arguments against it. READ MORE
While left wing commentators see the PM’s speech as an act of political PR and miss a sense of dynamism in his words, their right wing counterparts view the PM’s address on Tuesday as an expression of optimism. Bloggers agree that this was Viktor Orbán’s most pragmatic speech in years. READ MORE