In a surprise move,the minister in charge of education fired his undersecretary, just days before she was to due to sit down for talks with protesting teachers. Magyar Nemzet and Népszabadság
Commenting on recent polls which show over 50 per cent support for Fidesz among probable voters, Hetek rejects the idea that the governing party will call early elections in order to regain a two thirds majority in Parliament, before emerging problems make this impossible. READ MORE
Right-wing commentators blame the courts for failing to hand down exemplary sentences to corrupt left-wing businessmen and politicians, while on the Left, the mild verdicts are cited as proof that the charges were at least partly politically motivated. READ MORE
Twelve days before Prime Minister Victor Orbán’s visit to Moscow, a left-wing commentator suspects that both governments may have reasons to slow down the preparations for the planned extension of Hungary’s nuclear power station. READ MORE
Two conservative economists urge measures to stop the exodus of doctors and nurses, and suggest tax increases in order to make substantial wage hikes possible. READ MORE
A left-wing daily welcomes demonstrations initiated by the teachers of a Miskolc high school as an example of “the courage and autonomy of citizens”, while a right-wing webmagazine suggests that the teachers’ “legitimate protest movement” is being used by Soros-funded NGOs. READ MORE
A prestigious political analyst believes the planned amendment has no chance of going through, and thus he suspects it is part of a PR campaign. A pro-government columnist is convinced that the existing legal provisions would prove insufficient in the event of a genuine terror threat. READ MORE
Tags: Parliament, terrorism
Commenting on the Jobbik leader’s annual address to his party, a moderate columnist wonders if the radical right-wing party can move to the political centre and challenge Fidesz as a more moderate people’s party. READ MORE
The leading pro-government daily finds it outrageous that the leaders of the MAL Company, responsible for a 2010 industrial accident in western Hungary in which ten people died, were cleared of the criminal charges against them. A left-wing commentator blames the government for suggesting that the management bore responsibility for the disaster. READ MORE
Commenting on Transparency International’s recent Corruption Perception Index and the selling of state-owned farmland, both a left-wing and a conservative columnist accuse the government of corruption. READ MORE
Tags: corruption, Fidesz, Land, privatisation