Commenting on the breakdown of the negotiations among left-wing parties, commentators suggest that the absence of a broad left-wing coalition plays into the hands of Fidesz. READ MORE
Tags: 2014, Bajnai, Democratic Coalition, Fidesz, Fodor, Gyurcsány, Left, Mesterházy, MSZP, Together 2014
A pro-government commentator believes that the government has won an important battle against the European Commission which tried to punish Hungary by suspending EU funds. READ MORE
Commenting on the government’s plan to transform the energy and utility providers into non-profit services, a left-wing and a centrist columnist accuse the government of welfare populism. A right-wing pundit, on the other hand, believes that the Socialists want to increase their popularity by creating a fully welfare dependent constituency. READ MORE
Tags: 2014, campaign, elections, energy, Fidesz, MSZP, Rogán, utility tariffs
A pro-government paper criticizes The New York Times for overemphasizing the tension caused by extremist Hungarian fans, or ultras, without reporting on similar incidents on the Romanian side. The leading left-wing Hungarian daily reminds readers that no one outside Hungary expected the national team to win and the government was rather late in warning Hungarian fans to abstain from wrongdoing. A transborder Hungarian writer describes how harmful the ultra’s behaviour will be for Hungarians in Transylvania. READ MORE
Tags: football, nationalism, Romania
A liberal commentator argues that the Socialists, after coming to an agreement with Gordon Bajnai, are much less eager to grant Gyurcsány the positions he has asked for, while a conservative columnist points out that even if opposition forces come to an agreement regarding their candidate for PM, they still have no political programme for the voters. An independent centrist analyst says that despite naive hopes to the contrary, new faces are unlikely to emerge on the Hungarian political scene in the near future and the political elite is here to stay. READ MORE
Tags: Bajnai, Gyurcsány, Mesterházy, MSZP
A centrist-liberal commentator accuses the government of hindering economic growth in an effort to increase its popularity before next year’s election. Another determined critic of the government thinks the scheme will work because it meets well established public expectations. READ MORE
Tags: debt, utility tariffs
A pro-government weekly finds the criticism directed at the new school reforms hasty and harsh, while another commentator acknowledges teachers’ need for higher salaries but says liberal critics misrepresent the reforms and foster hysteria. READ MORE
Tags: education
A liberal analyst says the greatest problem Fidesz faces in the upcoming campaign is how to handle hundreds of thousands of voters with forex mortgages who can no longer be won over with expressions of sympathy and solidarity. A left-leaning commentator disagrees and foresees further verbal manoeuvring to appease angry mortgage holders. READ MORE
A pro-Gyurcsány commentator accuses opposition forces of excluding his party from the alliance, while a pro-government daily claims Gordon Bajnai’s plan is to embrace Gyurcsány once he becomes prime minister. READ MORE
Liberal critics of different hues accuse the government of authoritarianism and incompetence, for its overhaul of public education READ MORE