A conservative columnist comments on rumours about the breakdown of IMF talks. The government is right to resist IMF pressure to cut wages and pensions, he suggests. But he is at a loss to explain why the government has launched an insulting media campaign against the IMF to coincide with its yearly summit. READ MORE
Tags: IMF, restrictions, Varga
Commentators both on the right and the left welcome a court verdict which compels the MAL aluminium company to compensate victims of the 2010 red sludge disaster. A pro-government columnist believes that the accident was the result of the poorly thought out privatisation of the plant by the former Socialist-Liberal coalition. READ MORE
Tags: MAL, privatisation
A geopolitical analyst, in a comment on the last televised presidential debate in the US, wonders whether Hungary would be better off with a conservative US president who despises state regulation in the economy, but endorses a hard line in foreign policy. READ MORE
Tags: Europe, foreign affairs, US
A leading anti-liberal economist calls for active public involvement in the economy, instead of restrictions “demanded by the IMF and the EU”. She claims that no growth is possible without government intervention. READ MORE
Tags: economy, liberalism, MIÉP, privatisation
Commentators ponder the possible impact of Gordon Bajnai’s plans to create a centrist anti-Fidesz electoral alliance. Both left and right-wing analysts are skeptical about the potential success of Bajnai’s rainbow coalition. READ MORE
Tags: 2014, Bajnai, Democratic Coalition, LMP, MSZP, Together 2014
Commentators across the political spectrum assess the speeches of PM Orbán and former PM Bajnai in the light of the 2014 election. Both left and right-wing columnists wonder if Bajnai can succeed in uniting moderates, socialists, greens and liberals dissatisfied with the Orbán government. READ MORE
Tags: 1956, Bajnai, EU, Orbán, Together 2014
The “distance duel” between the two heroes of the two opposing camps on the anniversary of the 1956 revolution shoots mainstream politics into the top TV news, if only for a few days. READ MORE
Editorials published on Monday to mark the anniversary of the 1956 revolution (the dailies are not published on national holidays) reflect the papers’ political affiliations. READ MORE
Tags: 1956
Analysts are busy assessing how much credibility the government has lost due to its two successive adjustment packages, and whether the divided opposition will be able to capitalize on the Prime Minister’s supposed weakening. READ MORE
Tags: Bajnai, EU, opposition, Orbán, package
As Jobbik’s anti-Roma demonstration in Miskolc and the counter-demonstrations organized by DK and Roma activists passed peacefully, commentators on the left mostly expressed relief while right-wing media outlets passed over the event in silence. READ MORE
Tags: Democratic Coalition, Jobbik, Roma