As Hungary’s top court rules that the police did not violate the Constitution by banning a demonstration planned in 2014 in front of PM Orbán’s home, commentators and experts disagree on whether the present legislation on the right of assembly should be reformed or not. READ MORE
While left-liberal Népszabadság no longer regards the constitutional amendments as a threat, Népszava thinks they are the beginning of the end of the republic. READ MORE
A former Socialist representative puts forward a ’personal conspiracy theory’ about Fidesz’s proposal on the planned ‘Emergency State of Terror’ constitutional amendment, while a liberal commentator calls such laws hotbeds of dictatorship. READ MORE
An independent conservative pundit cautions the left-wing opposition against boycotting the parliamentary debate over the planned amendment, because it would amount to letting down their voters. READ MORE
A left-wing commentator fears that the government’s plan to offer a subsidy of 10 million forints for young families will entrench poverty. His conservative counterpart calls such fears outright ridiculous. READ MORE
Commentators from both right and left use the occasion of the national holiday to impose their political messages on St. Stephen’s historical contribution. READ MORE
Magyar Nemzet accuses leading Socialist politicians of lying, when they deny their role in the preparation of the European Parliament resolution condemning the constitutional changes enacted by the right-wing government since 2010. READ MORE
Liberal and left leaning commentators find PM Orbán’s indignation over the EP resolution unfounded and hypocritical, while a Christian Democrat portal suggests the European Right dislikes Mr Orbán because he reminds them of their own cowardice. A pro-government daily finds it ridiculous that a former minister of a Socialist government now poses as a Conservative MEP. READ MORE
A pro-government columnist maintains that the Tavares-report was accepted by a narrow margin, and suggests PM Orbán’s speech before the vote may have convinced many MEPs to abstain, rather than vote in favour. A former Hungarian centre-right MP writes in an opposition daily that Orbán is unfit to lead because he tolerates no compromise. READ MORE
A leading liberal expert describes the vote in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe as “a victory for Orbán, albeit a tiny one”. READ MORE