According to a recent poll, 42 per cent of Hungarians believe in secret plots aimed at ruling their country from behind the scenes. Although Fidesz voters are less likely to buy these conspiracy theories than Socialist sympathizers, a left-wing commentator blames the government for the popularity of such views. READ MORE
Commentators across the political spectrum use St Stephen’s Day to put current political developments and debates into an historical perspective. Right-wing pundits praise the government for reinstating St. Stephen’s heritage, while a left-wing columnist accuses it of completely ignoring its critics. READ MORE
A centrist commentator notes that PM Orbán is surprisingly unaware of how awful the lavish support his government has provided to Felcsút – his hometown – looks to most citizens, while a left-wing analyst says Bajnai’s problem is his lack of political awareness. READ MORE
A left-wing analyst says the protagonists of last week’s angry exchanges all need the conflict to boost their own political plans, but transborder Hungarians in Romania are the ones who will suffer. A liberal columnist, on the other hand, criticizes MSZP leader Attila Mesterházy for reacting to Băsescu’s statement with outrage instead of regarding it as a criticism aimed at PM Orbán. A centre-right columnist from Romania finds it strange that other transborder Hungarians, such as the Hungarians of Slovakia, are much less concerned with their own minority status than Hungarians in Transylvania. READ MORE
A left-wing commentator thinks the freeze is due to the semi-paralysis of the decision-makers, and predicts therefore that despite State Secretary János Lázár’s vow to overhaul the system of distribution of EU funds, inefficiency and incompetence will continue to rule. A pro-government analyst says Hungary is out of the recession with a meagre GDP growth for the second quarter in a row, but U funds are vital, as more investment – and jobs – will be needed for the people to benefit. READ MORE
Left-wing commentators wonder if the verbal confrontation between the Fidesz strongman and the most influential Hungarian businessman implies a deepening rift between Orbán and his former ally. READ MORE
Hungarian commentators in Transylvania paint a gloomy picture of the inter-ethnic landscape in Romania, after President Băsescu called Hungary a hotbed of ethnic instability and threatened to ban Fidesz’s annual summer “Free University”. READ MORE
Commentators find Romanian accusations against Hungary out of proportion with the controversial statements made by Hungarian politicians in Transylvania. A left-liberal columnist thinks even far right Jobbik leader Vona should not be denied the right to travel to and speak in Romania. A pro-government columnist, on the other hand, finds Romanian President Traian Băsescu’s attack on Fidesz, a former international ally, a breach of trust that only serves Băsescu’s presidential campaign. READ MORE
Magyar Nemzet acknowledges that Hungarian far-right extremists do proselytise in Transylvania, but dismisses a claim by the Romanian Foreign Ministry that the Hungarian government should dissociate itself from Jobbik leader Vona’s statements. Népszabadság blames PM Orbán for exporting Hungarian party politics to Romania and setting an example for Jobbik’s absurd campaign. READ MORE
A left-wing sociologist suggests that intellectuals who ceaselessly complain about the warlike atmosphere which dominates Hungarian politics fail to find a new language that could help society overcome its paralysing divisions. READ MORE