US midterm elections seen as a ‘draw’
Friday, November 9th, 2018Although Republicans lost their majority in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, commentators agree that President Trump’s cards remain strong. READ MORE
Plans to relaunch the opposition
Monday, September 3rd, 2018Authors in the opposition weeklies wonder how the dishevelled opposition parties can become a serious challenge to Viktor Orbán. They do not call for the dissolution of the existing parties but agree that something entirely new must be devised. READ MORE
PM in conflict with Supreme Court
Tuesday, May 8th, 2018After the Prime Minister’s spokesman has sharply criticised a ruling by the Supreme Court to scrap over 4000 postal votes, which resulted in the loss of one Fidesz mandate, a pro-government columnist urges the state to react. READ MORE
Wage increases – a factor in the election result
Wednesday, April 25th, 2018A business analyst argues that the consistent wage increases of the past three years played a significant role in the crushing electoral victory of Fidesz. He warns however that these were in part due to favourable international conditions. READ MORE
Dispute among liberals over the fairness of election
Saturday, April 21st, 2018Three liberal intellectuals question the fairness and legitimacy of the April 8 election. Another liberal commentator suggests that by blaming their defeat purely on allegedly unfair circumstances, the Left could miss an opportunity to revise its strategy. READ MORE
Weeklies on the election
Monday, April 16th, 2018In their first issues after last Sunday’s election, the five nationwide opposition weeklies paint a desolate picture of Hungary’s future, while the two pro-government ones find that the crushing victory achieved by the government gives it unprecedented legitimacy. READ MORE
Allegations of electoral fraud
Friday, April 13th, 2018As Facebook swarms with complaints by opposition sympathisers about widespread electoral fraud, even some critics of the government warn that there is no indication of organised attempts to alter the results of Sunday’s election. READ MORE
A campaign-tainted Easter week-end
Tuesday, April 3rd, 2018In their last pre-electoral weekend issues, the weeklies only see a slim chance for the divided opposition to defeat the incumbent government, but agree that the election will be decided in the individual constituencies where the fate of more than half the parliamentary seats is sealed. READ MORE
Simicska’s ’atom bomb’ attack is off?
Friday, March 30th, 2018A liberal commentator suggests that widespread speculation about Lajos Simicska holding a decisive trump card against the government that he would put on the table to cause devastating damage to PM Orbán before the election, was a case of wishful thinking. READ MORE
Another post-electoral nightmare scenario
Thursday, March 29th, 2018In the latest installment of an exchange of accusations with both sides accusing the other of planning reprisals (See BudaPost, March 21), a pro-government analyst sketches a tragic picture of what Hungary might look like, in the unlikely event of an opposition victory in the parliamentary election in 10 days’ time. READ MORE