Left-wing commentators accuse Fidesz of election fraud after the Baja local by-election results in one sub-district were scrapped by the court. They also claim that the new electoral law will allow the manipulation of results at the 2014 Parliamentary election. READ MORE
Muted celebrations of the court ruling in the left-wing press – and few reactions from the government side READ MORE
A liberal weekly suggests it should not have come as a surprise that Lungo Drom activists drove Roma voters to the booths. A pro-government columnist, on the other hand, finds the allegation the apogee of a smear campaign that is a small-scale rehearsal for the real thing in 2014. READ MORE
A left-wing columnist says the opposition only lost by a hairsbreadth and the result showed LMP’s contribution is indispensable to beat Orbán in 2014. He reiterates opposition claims of irregularities during the election. A pro-government pundit, on the other hand, finds the Baja election is proof that whatever the opposition tries, they are bound to lose. READ MORE
A conservative blogger claims that Orbán could be “Hungary’s Merkel” if he could only show restraint and fashion his party as a “force for stability”. READ MORE
Commenting on the government’s plan to transform the energy and utility providers into non-profit services, a left-wing and a centrist columnist accuse the government of welfare populism. A right-wing pundit, on the other hand, believes that the Socialists want to increase their popularity by creating a fully welfare dependent constituency. READ MORE
In their first reactions to the agreement suddenly clinched by opposition leaders after a painful clash last week (see BudaPost, August 26 and 27), left-wing commentators are cautiously optimistic about the chances of the new alliance. READ MORE
After Saturday’s twin commentary on the subject, Népszabadság devotes an editorial, four opinion pieces and two online commentaries to the failure of the two main left-wing leaders to agree on how to choose a joint candidate for Prime Minister for next year’s elections. READ MORE
Commentators and analysts ponder whether a left-wing election alliance is still possible after negotiations between the MSZP and Together 2014 stalled and a bitter dispute erupted between the party leaders. READ MORE
A moderate right-wing weekly suspects that the media multinationals may take the risk of supporting opposition forces in their quest to win next year’s election. Népszabadság, meanwhile, may be bought back by a Socialist foundation. READ MORE