Commentators on both the left and the right warn that the victory of Greek moderate parties in Sunday’s elections will not bring the economic and political crisis in the country to an end. They all agree that if Greece defaults, it will entail the end of the European Union. READ MORE
A pro-government columnist welcomes the Canadian government’s plan to end the practice of granting refugee status to Hungarian claimants. Canada, he believes, has recognized that the mainly Roma Hungarian asylum seekers are not facing persecution, as NGOs and left-wing opposition parties claim. READ MORE
Commentators on the left and right trade accusations about hidden agendas and propagating half-truths concerning the charges of anti-Semitism, the heritage of Imre Nagy and the Strasbourg court ruling on wearing the red star in public. READ MORE
Centrist analysts call the economic performance of the government disheartening, while right-wing commentators draw attention to a recent opinion poll according to which voters are still more satisfied with the present government than with the two previous ones.
A right wing columnist suggests that the 2013 draft budget figures to be submitted to Parliament might be too optimistic, although they had been intended to reassure the markets. A left wing pundit thinks Economy Minister György Matolcsy’s attempt to refute an article published in The Economist is damaging to Hungary’s reputation. READ MORE
A leading conservative journalist calls for a peaceful assessment of 20th century Hungarian history, and blames the left for refusing to face the negative heritage of the Communist past. READ MORE
A centrist commentator suggests that Fidesz is sliding towards electoral defeat, and to change that trend a shift would be needed in government policies. READ MORE
A right wing journalist believes the Romanian elections turned out much as expected: voters punished the former governing coalition for going along with the dictates of the IMF. A left wing daily, on the other hand, publishes a commentary with the title “RMDSZ-Fidesz 3:0”, suggesting that the engagement of Fidesz on behalf of two small ethnic Hungarian parties backfired. READ MORE
A left-wing commentator argues that although the Orbán government has not done much, it may still win the next election for want of a credible alternative. READ MORE
A left-wing pundit chastises public officials and the conservative press for what he calls their pathetic attempts to deny the charges levelled against the government in the West. Former chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel of Austria takes up PM Orbán’s defence. Otherwise, observers across the political spectrum agree that Hungary faces significant difficulties in the months ahead. READ MORE