In their comments on the Prime Minister’s speech in Baile Tusnad (Tusnádfürdő) on July 26th, left-liberal weeklies accuse Viktor Orbán of openly opting for dictatorship instead of western democracy. Pro-government analysts retort that the speech has been distorted by the left. READ MORE
Tags: democracy, liberalism, Orbán
Western Ukrainians, including ethnic Hungarians, refuse to fight in eastern Ukraine, and thus the war against the ethnic Russian insurgency cannot be won, an analyst born and raised in western Ukraine predicts.READ MORE
In an unprecedentedly harsh attack on an incumbent member of the right-wing government, the leading pro-government daily urges the newly appointed Minister of National Development to step down, after evidence of past tax evasion and favouritism was revealed by the media. READ MORE
Tags: corruption, Fidesz
The press and the internet are literally aflame with passionate comments on the Prime Minister’s announcement that he is about to build an “illiberal state”, since liberal democracy is in decline, as a result of the financial crisis of 2008. READ MORE
Analysing the Prime Minister’s speech on Saturday at the Fidesz sponsored traditional summer “free university” in Transylvania, commentators disagree on whether Mr Orbán has opted for an authoritarian model of government or just intends to increase the role of the government in promoting growth and competitiveness. READ MORE
Left-wing and liberal columnists accuse the government of rewriting the Budapest municipal election rules in order to secure their victory at the October election, and the Constitutional Court of assisting the government in what they consider as a limitation of basic rights. A conservative analyst contends that the new rules will make the governance of Budapest more effective. Another suggests that accusations of malpractice against the government is a sure sign that the Left anticipates another defeat. READ MORE
Tags: Budapest, elections, Fidesz, municipalities
Analysts wonder if it makes sense to increase public ownership in the banking sector. A pro-government commentator welcomes the decision, which he believes will help the economy, while a left-wing columnist warns against spending public money to consolidate MKB. READ MORE
Tags: banks, nationalisation, Varga
A columnist in the leading conservative daily contends that the primary cause of the Middle East conflict is the occupation of Palestinian land by Israel. His left-wing counterpart, on the other hand, believes that the violence is being provoked first and foremost by Hamas and other radical Palestinian organizations. READ MORE
Tags: foreign affairs, Israel
As the Monetary Council lowers the base rate to a historic low and announces the end of the easing cycle, columnists on both left and right acknowledge that Central Banker Governor Matolcsy’s bold and often criticized steps have proven valid. READ MORE
Tags: economy, Forint, Matolcsy, National Bank