A pro-government and a centrist columnist comment on Péter Jakab’s announcement that he is stepping down as leader of Jobbik. They suggest that his major political mistake was to abandon the radical right-wing ideology of his party, and side with the Left.

Despite his reelection as party leader at the Jobbik convention a month ago, Péter Jakab has resigned. As the board of the party did not back him, he explained, he felt he could no longer lead the party. Following his resignation Jakab will continue as an MP and serve as the Jobbik Parliamentary floor leader.

Magyar Nemzet’s Tamás Pilhál is not at all surprised that the Jobbik leadership wanted to get rid of Jakab. The pro-government commentator writes that under Jakab’s leadership, the former “radical centrist national party” became a “servant of left-wing liberal parties”. In addition to “betraying” Jobbik, Jakab was also involved in an intra-party feud and is accused of corruption.

In Magyar Hang, Róbert Puzsér finds Jakab’s performance as Jobbik leader disappointing. The centrist commentator thinks that Jakab’s political stunts seemed impressive, but his decision to side with former PM Gyurcsány’s Democratic Coalition was an unforgivable strategic mistake. Puzsér accuses Jakab of actively supporting Ferenc Gyurcsány’s efforts to weaken other smaller parties that joined the opposition alliance. As the election results show, Jobbik gained nothing at all by linking arms with the Democratic Coalition, Puzsér contends.