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Retirement accounts – the price of a hasty promise

Tuesday, April 9th, 2013

A left-wing paper and an independent liberal commentator both excoriate the government for going back on its promise to create individual retirement accounts for those citizens who transferred their compulsory retirement savings to the national social security system. READ MORE

Is the rule of law in danger?

Monday, April 8th, 2013

As mutual accusations spiral frenetically, left-wing commentators accuse the government of destroying constitutional democracy, while they are being accused by their right-wing counterparts of fuelling foreign criticism of Hungary. READ MORE

Matolcsy’s first package

Saturday, April 6th, 2013

Népszabadság reacts with relief to the first programme announced on Thursday by the new National Bank chief, while Magyar Nemzet comments that Mr Matolcsy has done more in one week than his predecessor did in six years. READ MORE

Magyar Hírlap’s ‘scoop’ parodied in Népszava

Friday, April 5th, 2013

In a blatant parody of a Magyar Hírlap story alleging that Socialist leader Mesterházy is facing a serious challenge from an older generation of party officials, Népszava writes that dissatisfied Fidesz members might send an ultimatum to PM Viktor Orbán, demanding a correction of his political course. READ MORE

Party proliferation seen as Vanity Fair

Thursday, April 4th, 2013

An independent conservative blogger believes the proliferation of political parties in Hungary is due to the narcissism of Hungarian political leaders, rather than to any significant political differences. READ MORE

Singer-songwriter to leave in distress

Wednesday, April 3rd, 2013

A left-wing commentator would prefer to see Viktor Orbán leave his country, while his right-wing counterpart criticises Peter Gerendás for making what he describes as his ‘market failure’ a political issue. READ MORE

Opposition not yet in combat mode

Tuesday, April 2nd, 2013

A popular political analyst suggests that the opposition is too busy settling its own internal rivalries to successfully counter the government’s public relations offensive and to increase its own rating. READ MORE

Hungarian government criticized in German public media

Monday, April 1st, 2013

Left-wing commentators criticize the government’s reaction to German public media reports which claim that undemocratic trends are the order of the day in Hungary. A conservative liberal blogger, on the other hand, believes that the German media habitually paint a distorted and biased picture of Hungary. READ MORE

Punitive sanctions desirable?

Monday, April 1st, 2013

Former SZDSZ MP Tamás Bauer who is a professor of economics and serves as Vice-Chairman of Ferenc Gyurcsány’s Democratic Coalition (DK) party, believes it would be in Hungary’s best interest to be punished by the EU for what he calls the government’s ill-conceived economic policy and “autocratic” rule. READ MORE

Jobbik wins defamation case

Monday, April 1st, 2013

Liberal commentators criticize the Hungarian justice system for what they see as the misuse of free speech, in their reflections on a court ruling which condemned a historian for calling Jobbik a neo-Nazi party. READ MORE