Is Victor Ponta applying Viktor Orbán’s recipe?

Commentators across the political spectrum ponder possible parallels between the practices of the prime ministers of Hungary and Romania. Those on the left think that although Ponta follows a recipe devised by Orbán, the Romanian PM has not initiated a fully-fledged offensive against democratic institutions. Right-wing pundits, on the other ...

May 2012: a tilt in the polls?

A popular political analyst believes if elections were held today, the outcome would be uncertain – for the first time since 2010.

The Orbán government’s mid-term balance sheet

Commentators assessing the Orbán government’s performance in its first two years in office all agree that Fidesz has not yet fulfilled its promises. But while left-wing pundits believe it is the fault of the Prime Minister"s mistaken policies, right-wing columnists blame former Socialist governments and international organizations for causing Hungary ...

Who could benefit from voter registration?

Commentators discuss the government’s plan to introduce mandatory voter registration, and caution that pre-registration may not be a useful tool to keep angry, politically under-informed and possibly radical voters away from the ballot box.

János Áder elected President of Hungary

A leading LMP politician writes in his blog that Áder, despite his party political background in Fidesz, could represent a new chance for Hungary’s political culture. A left-wing columnist contends however that independence from the party line is not an option for the new President. A right-wing editor deems it ...

Will Áder represent the unity of the nation?

Most, but not all left-wing commentators believe that the future President of the Republic will play the tune of the government and will therefore not be the kind of balancing factor the head of the state is expected to be. An MEP colleague of Mr Áder says divisions are too ...

Áder nominated for President

A left-wing columnist thinks that János Áder as president will be a puppet of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. A right-wing commentator, on the other hand, is convinced that Áder is an ideal candidate, since he has the experience and skills to defend himself and Hungary’s democratic image.

Verbal duel between Budapest and Brussels escalates

Pro-government commentators suggest that the government should not cave in to political pressure from the European Union and the IMF, while opposition newspapers warn that by refusing to accept the rules of the game Hungary’s leaders are taking serious and unnecessary risks.

Is Orbán’s offer to negotiate a trap?

A liberal commentator cautions the opposition parties against cooperating with Viktor Orbán’s government. He suspects that the government has only proposed talks with the opposition in order to strengthen its own legitimacy and entrench its power for years to come.

Weeklies on Hungary’s relations with the EU

Weekly newspapers went to print before Prime Minister Orbán agreed with the rest of the member countries on Thursday on the contentious issue of financial assistance to Ukraine. Several commentaries are devoted to the tension developing between Hungary and its western allies, nevertheless.