Most media watch in incredulous silence the mayors of 23 districts of the capital (almost all right wing) form an alliance which ostensibly challenges the authority of the right wing mayor of Budapest. One right wing commentator, however, calls their move insane. READ MORE
Hungarians are sceptical and pessimistic, according to an international survey. But astonishingly, there is more public trust in Parliament and the Government than anywhere else in Europe, according to the same survey, a conservative commentator points out. READ MORE
Right wing commentators join their colleagues on the left to demand more transparency in the latest spy scandal, in which a former Socialist cabinet minister is allegedly implicated. READ MORE
A libertarian-minded economist disputes the Government’s claim that it is pursuing a completely new and unorthodox economic policy. READ MORE
The decision to axe 550 jobs at four public service media is criticised as an act of ‘political cleansing’, while decision-makers say it was necessary in order to streamline the system. READ MORE
Whose interest might it be to implicate the Chief Executive Officer of Hungary’s oil multinational MOL in a Croatian corruption scandal, which also involves former PM Ivo Sanader? Hungarian commentators speculate. READ MORE
The end of Hungary’s EU presidency, PM Viktor Orbán’s presentation of its achievements, and the demand from the European Parliament for Hungary to revise the new constitution provoke mixed reactions in the Hungarian press. READ MORE
“I am not sure whether everyone has fully grasped yet how serious this is”, comments political scientist Gábor Török on the latest spy scandal. By the time that file is closed, Hungarian democracy will have lost a player. The closet is already full of skeletons – accusations, defamations, and presumptions – but this one starts to look much more serious.” READ MORE
A spy scandal replete with allegations of wrongdoing against two former heads of Hungary’s counter-espionage service, as well as a former Socialist cabinet minister responsible for supervising the secret services, has provoked conflicting commentaries in the press. All the more so, as the details have been classified as state secrets for the next 78 years. READ MORE
Regardless of their political affiliations, commentators appreciate the diplomatic performance of Hungary during the six months of the EU presidency, but this professional success story does not silence the usual controversies over the government’s democratic legitimacy. READ MORE