Regardless of their political affiliations, commentators appreciate the diplomatic performance of Hungary during the six months of the EU presidency, but this professional success story does not silence the usual controversies over the government’s democratic legitimacy. READ MORE
Two board members of the think tank set up by the last left wing Prime Minister argue for a compromise between right and left in Hungary over the controversial new Constitution. READ MORE
Tags: Bajnai, constitution, Fidesz, Left
Striking differences were apparent in the press coverage of the visits of two US Secretaries of State to Budapest. Former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice came to unveil the monument to Ronald Reagan, while her successor, Hillary Clinton spoke at the opening ceremony of the Tom Lantos Institute. READ MORE
Tags: China, constitution, media, Orbán, US
Though the initial hysteria about the new Hungarian media law has long subsided, fearmongers still maintain that free speech in Hungary is threatened by what they see as a far-right government, András Stumpf reports from a Bonn conference. READ MORE
Hungarians love to hate mendacious political elites, and blame them for the difficulties the country has to face. But the source of all our problems runs deeper, says Gábor Bruck, former adviser and PR-director of the liberal Free Democrats (SZDSZ). Lack of sincerity is in the DNA of the Hungarian public, he suggests. READ MORE
Few question the advantages of the bilateral agreements signed by PM Viktor Orbán and his counterpart Wen Jiabao on June 25 in Budapest, especially in the mainstream press. Many popular bloggers, however, even on the right of the political spectrum, argue that the government went too far in its courtesy towards the Asian giant. READ MORE
Tags: China, Fidesz, foreign affairs, human rights, Orbán
Fidesz secured a two-thirds majority in last year’s election by promising a stronger welfare state. Left-wing commentators suggest that in government they have reneged on their campaign pledges and taken an anti-welfare turn. Overall state intervention in the economy, nonetheless, has not decreased.
The latest data suggest that the Hungarian population is continuing to decline. According to a right-wing daily, the recent changes in the welfare system may have contributed to this sad trend. A left-wing journalist notes that only in-depth surveys would uncover the real causes – one should not automatically blame the current government. READ MORE
Tags: demography, Fidesz, taxes
The most notable change in Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s foreign policy is that he has realized the necessity of cooperating with China – writes Gyula Krajczár in Népszabadság. The Hungarian PM and his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao signed a dozen bilateral agreements on Saturday in Budapest. READ MORE
Tags: China, foreign affairs, Orbán
A bill submitted to Parliament broadening the rights of the prosecution against suspected criminal offenders has caused a major uproar in the left wing press. Even a conservative commentator describes the successive amendments to the bill as ‘hasty.’ READ MORE
Tags: crime