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IMF-deal would not threaten sovereignty

Friday, December 16th, 2011

An agreement with the IMF would not curtail Hungary’s sovereignty, even if it would somewhat limit the economic options available to the government, a liberal commentator suggests. READ MORE

The West has to deal with PM Viktor Orbán

Thursday, December 15th, 2011

As Western governments hesitate about how to deal with Viktor Orbán’s government, a Hungarian EU-expert believes that there is still no real alternative to him, as the  opposition parties have so far failed to produce a serious contender for his post. READ MORE

Parliament debates the EU Pact

Wednesday, December 14th, 2011

A left-wing pundit criticises the Prime Minister for not admitting the failure of his economic strategy. Right-wing journalists welcome cautious deliberation and blame the opposition parties for their “irresponsible and partisan” attacks. READ MORE

Orbán’s tactics over the EU pact

Tuesday, December 13th, 2011

Analysts across the political spectrum criticize the Prime Minister’s controversial message after last week’s European summit. A left-wing commentator, however, finds Orbán’s strategy reasonable and believes the PM’s apparent inconsistency is motivated by the expectations of the public. READ MORE

Neither yes nor no from Hungary in Brussels

Monday, December 12th, 2011

Left-wing commentators condemn Prime Minister Viktor Orbán for refusing to join the new fiscal deal of the European Union. A right-wing columnist thanks Prime Minister David Cameron of Great Britain for rejecting the package and thus winning time and space for others to ponder what to do. READ MORE

Military registry deemed necessary

Saturday, December 10th, 2011

Pundits from both the left and the right acknowledge that it is reasonable to reinstate the registration of Hungarian men of military age. A left-wing commentator, however, worries that the sensitive personal data collected by the government may be misused. READ MORE

Minister for National Development resigns to concentrate on IMF talks

Friday, December 9th, 2011

A leading conservative analyst finds the minister’s decision reasonable – evidence of what he believes is the government’s commitment to reaching  an agreement with the International Monetary Fund. READ MORE

A call for a European credit rating agency

Thursday, December 8th, 2011

Népszabadság and Magyar Nemzet call in unison for the establishment of a European credit rating agency. The two biggest Hungarian dailies agree that American credit rating agencies are trying to pressurize EU countries to reach an overall agreement this week, but at the same time play an important role in the economic war between the EU and the US. READ MORE

Demands for Matolcsy’s resignation

Wednesday, December 7th, 2011

Calls for the Minister of the Economy to resign are becoming more frequent, and are discussed by commentators from both sides of the political spectrum. A left wing columnist accuses PM Viktor Orbán of whipping up hatred, and calls upon moderate Fidesz politicians to intervene. His right wing counterpart favours a government compromise between employers and employees, rather than between the government and its opponents. READ MORE

100 year old Hungarian woman stripped of Slovak citizenship

Tuesday, December 6th, 2011

A curse on you, Slovak politicians!” – thunders radical columnist Zsolt Bayer in Magyar Hírlap, after an elderly Hungarian woman lost her Slovak citizenship, as a consequence of being granted citizenship by Hungary. READ MORE