A left-wing commentator claims that Prime Minister Orbán is afraid to participate in a public debate with opposition frontrunner Márki-Zay because he has no meaningful policy vision. A pro-government columnist, on the other hand, contends that PM Orbán should not engage with ‘liars’ in public. READ MORE
In their last issues before the end of the year, most weeklies concentrate on the Christmas festivities. Pro-government media largely avoid analysis of the political events of the week, while the main left-wing media find several developments worthy of comment. READ MORE
A pro-government commentator doesn’t believe that Márki-Zay can silence Ferenc Gyurcsány. On the contrary, she remains convinced that the opposition frontrunner is the DK leader’s pawn. READ MORE
Pro-government film producer Gábor Kálomista’s new thriller on the street clashes and brutal police clampdown before and on the anniversary of the 1956 revolution in 2006 is proving a great success among the pro-government public. 15 years after the controversial events took place with Ferenc Gyurcsány as Prime Minister, remembering those days has been one of the main themes of this year’s celebration of the anniversary on the government side. (For the 2006 riots, see e.g., BudaPost, September 5, 2011.) READ MORE
Critics of both the government and of the opposition parties welcome the result of the opposition primary but wonder what the programme of the centrist candidate for Prime Minister will be and how he will put it through. READ MORE
Critics of the opposition ruminate on what the government side should do after Péter Márki-Zay, an outsider, managed to defeat opposition party leaders and become Prime Minister Orbán’s challenger in next April’s parliamentary elections. READ MORE
A liberal commentator thinks that despite the tense and personal exchange between Dobrev and Márki-Zay, there is no vast ideological cleavage between the opposition candidates. A conservative columnist suggests that the debate may help the opposition boost its visibility and broaden its base. READ MORE
As the second round of the opposition primary opens, Péter Márki-Zay and Klára Dobrev trade accusations of threatening opposition unity and jeopardizing the chance to defeat Fidesz. READ MORE
A pro-government columnist thinks that the opposition candidates have so far failed to outline their political vision. An alt-left commentator criticizes Márki-Zay for endorsing liberal pro-market ideologies. READ MORE
A pro-government daily reads Gergely Karácsony’s decision to withdraw from the opposition primary as proof that he is a failed politician. A left-wing analyst lambasts him for releasing a string of contradictory statements. READ MORE