Budapest Mayor Karácsony’s first 100 days
Friday, January 24th, 2020A liberal and a pro-government commentator assess Budapest Mayor Karácsony’s performance during his first one hundred days in office. READ MORE
Opposition cities seen as bases for victory at general elections
Monday, December 23rd, 2019A liberal weekly welcomes the alliance of liberal-led East European cities as the advance guard of a potential shift in government throughout the region. A conservative constitutional lawyer warns the leaders of the cities that now they must prove their ability to govern in order to become serious challengers to the incumbent government. READ MORE
Budapest sends political representative to Brussels
Friday, December 20th, 2019While the Brussels representative of the new left-liberal Mayor of Budapest hopes that the capital can get direct EU subsidies without having to submit applications through the government, a right-wing columnist calls the idea a bluff. READ MORE
’Friendly fire’ on new left-wing city councils
Wednesday, December 4th, 2019A left-wing columnist warns newly elected city officials to abstain from selfish financial decisions that inevitably play into the hands of the government side. READ MORE
Budapest conditionally agrees to athletics world championship
Tuesday, December 3rd, 2019A left-wing commentator thinks that the deal reached to build a world class athletics stadium in the capital will be a test of how “dual power” will work. READ MORE
Further analyses of the opposition breakthrough
Monday, November 4th, 2019After losing ten consecutive local and national elections by a landslide majority, the opposition won mayoral posts in 11 out of 23 major cities throughout Hungary on 13 October. The surprise development still gives commentators ample food for thought. READ MORE
Budapest elected a liberal Mayor
Thursday, October 17th, 2019A pro-government commentator attributes Gergely Karácsony’s victory in the Budapest Mayoral election to what he calls the ‘rootless globalist’ values of urban voters. A liberal pundit fears that the government will punish Budapest by cutting funding. READ MORE
Karácsony’s taped remarks on infighting within the Left
Saturday, September 28th, 2019Reacting to a taped conversation in which opposition Budapest mayoral candidate Gergely Karácsony expresses grave moral problems with the Socialist Party, a pro-government columnist urges Karácsony to quit the political scene, while a liberal commentator praises him as a staunch opponent of corruption. READ MORE
Weeklies on the coming municipal elections
Monday, September 23rd, 2019With just three weeks till the municipal elections, commentators in the weeklies and the weekend editions of the dailies ponder the chances of the opposition to defeat Fidesz candidates in Budapest and major provincial cities. READ MORE
Opposition Budapest mayoral campaign kicks off
Tuesday, September 3rd, 2019A left-wing pundit expresses concern that in the event of an opposition victory in the Budapest mayoral election, the government will punish the capital by not giving it enough money. A pro-government columnist thinks that Gergely Karácsony lacks the necessary expertise and vision to lead Budapest. READ MORE