Népszava urges opposition unity

A veteran left-wing pundit suggests that defeating the current government must be a priority for competing opposition leaders and should induce them to set their rivalry aside.

Welcoming the new US Ambassador to Hungary

Pundits across the political spectrum believe that Colleen Bradley Bell, the new US Ambassador to Hungary will form a rather dim picture of Hungary and its government if she gathers information from the US press before taking up her post.

Foreign press under fire

A pro-government weekly carries a long list of baseless allegations about Hungary in the foreign press, while a liberal news outlet criticizes Die Welt for misinterpreting an interview with a Hungarian historian, and failing to provide space for a rebuttal.

Football’s role in politics

A liberal writer describes Viktor Orbán’s interest in and support for Hungarian football as symbolic elements of a mafia-style leadership, while a libertarian commentator thinks the Premier sincerely believes that his favourite game is an essential part of nation-building which was destroyed by the Communists. A conservative columnist writes that ...

István Bethlen’s statue unveiled by PM Orbán

Commenting on the Prime Minister’s speech during the inauguration ceremony of István Bethlen’s statue in the Buda Castle district, left-wing analysts stress that the interwar prime minister was no democrat and left office in the midst of a full-blown financial crisis. A right-wing columnist believes he was a historic figure ...

Government plans to buy Dunaferr Steel

Left-wing and liberal pundits harshly criticize the government’s bid for Dunaferr Steel Works after it announced the layoff of 1,500 employees. Critics suggest that renationalization will mean that taxpayers will have to shoulder the company’s losses.

Historic Hungarian-Serbian reconciliation

Hungarian analysts appreciate the efforts made by Serbia’s leaders to relegate nationalist hatreds to the past, as the two presidents paid joint tribute to the victims of World War II massacres.

PM Orbán’s speech at the World Jewish Congress

A left-wing columnist finds PM Orbán's speech at the World Jewish Congress too timid. He believes while the PM condemns anti-Semitism, at the same time he is trying to secure the support of far-right voters by reviving the cult of the anti-Semitic interwar era.

Ruminations about the far-right demonstration

A liberal columnist believes that PM Orbán's disrespect for the rule of law is a greater threat to Hungary than racist protesters. A pro-government commentator, on the other hand, contends that whatever it does, the Orbán government will either be labeled as anti-democratic, or as racist.

Jobbik wins defamation case

Liberal commentators criticize the Hungarian justice system for what they see as the misuse of free speech, in their reflections on a court ruling which condemned a historian for calling Jobbik a neo-Nazi party.