Fears and hopes for the next four years

Commentators wonder whether or not the next Orbán government will strike a more conciliatory tone, and seek compromises in the economy and in symbolic battles at home and on the European scene.

Holocaust remembrance conflicts explained

A liberal analyst predicts that the Prime Minister will reject the demands put forward by Jewish leaders as pre-conditions for their presence at the government sponsored events of the Holocaust remembrance year. A right-wing pundit, on the other hand blames “uneducated” advisers who led the Prime Minister into a controversy ...

No end in sight for World War Two controversies

In the increasingly polarized debate over the commemoration of the Holocaust and the Nazi occupation of Hungary, a left-wing and a liberal pundit call for a boycott of government sponsored events. A moderate conservative commentator, on the other hand, fears that the lack of compromise on the memorial will only ...

No end to Culture Wars over Holocaust memorial year

A Jewish cultural weekly suggests that Jewish organizations should be prepared to make compromises but should also stay away from some of the events of the Holocaust memorial year. Reacting to earlier and sharper comments, one of the leading architects of the memorial year says the attacks are part and ...

International scandal brewing over Holocaust Memorial Year?

Wrangling over the proposed monument to mark the German occupation has taken a new, momentous turn, from a national quarrel to an international scandal, says an opposition daily, due to a statement by Randalph L. Braham. Pro-government commentators, on the other hand, dismiss the issue as fear-mongering and baseless accusations ...

Weeklies on the Russian-Hungarian nuclear pact

The headlines in Hungarian weeklies illustrate a growing controversy over the planned addition of two Russian-made blocks to the existing Paks nuclear power station: “The scandal of the year” (168 óra); “Eastern Block” (Heti Világgazdaság); “The business of the year?” (Figyelő); “Hungary hooked by Putin” (Magyar Narancs); “Change of Roles ...

Culture wars over Holocaust anniversary

A left-wing commentator welcomes a statement by the leaders of the Jewish religious communities who are threatening to withdraw from the state commemorations to mark the 70th anniversary of the Holocaust, unless the government changes its approach to history and stops implicitly whitewashing Hungarian wartime collaborators. A pro-government columnist accuses ...

Nazi invasion monument to be erected in Budapest

Left-wing commentators echo the misgivings expressed by opposition politicians about the government’s plan to erect a monument commemorating the invasion of Hungary by Nazi Germany in 1944. The statue is due to be unveiled on the 70th anniversary, i.e. March 19th, on Szabadság (Freedom) square, in front of the monument ...

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.

Speaker Kövér’s ‘rule by decree’ case

Commenting on the Speaker of Parliament's recent radio interview, left-wing columnists accuse Mr. Kövér of proposing the revival of a rule by decree system. Conservative pundits as well as a group of left- liberal constitutional lawyers say that Mr. Kövér had no undemocratic intentions, and agree that the current legislative ...