A liberal analyst believes the opposition’s job is to pinpoint Prime Minister Orbán as the main cause of the paedophile pardon scandal, while the government side will try to use its media power to defend itself. A pro-government pundit writes that the events have shown Fidesz’s moral superiority. READ MORE
Weeklies went to print before Prime Minister Orbán pledged to amend the constitution, to make it impossible for the President to pardon crimes related to paedophilia. The issue is only analysed by opposition-leaning commentators, some of whom predicted President Novák’s and even former Justice Minister Judit Nagy’s resignation. The main topic covered by pro-government weeklies is what they perceive to be the wrong direction in which the European Union is moving. READ MORE
A journalist believes the Prime Minister’s announcement is a damage control measure after the widely negative reactions to the news that President Katalin Novák pardoned a man who tried to whitewash a paedophile offender. READ MORE
Pro-government columnists dismiss allegations of appalling prison conditions made by an Italian woman who stands accused of grievous bodily harm against people whom her group suspected of being neo-nazi sympathisers. READ MORE
A left-wing pundit thinks it was the fault of the ’system’ that President pardoned the helper of a paedophile offender last year. A pro-government columnist believes that the opposition side is more lenient towards paedophilia than the government. READ MORE
A pro-government commentator compares the US ambassador to erstwhile Soviet oppressors because of his presence at Mondays’ extraordinary session of Parliament which was convened at the initiative of the opposition to vote on Sweden’s accession to NATO but boycotted by the governing majority. A liberal author dismisses such comparison as absurd. READ MORE
According to a leaked story from the day preceding last week’s EU summit, EU leaders divided roles among themselves in a concerted effort to persuade the Hungarian leader to drop his veto. READ MORE
Weekly newspapers went to print before Prime Minister Orbán agreed with the rest of the member countries on Thursday on the contentious issue of financial assistance to Ukraine. Several commentaries are devoted to the tension developing between Hungary and its western allies, nevertheless. READ MORE
A left-wing commentator writes that PM Orbán gave in to pressure by agreeing to the Ukrainian aid package, while a pro-government observer calls the result a sensible compromise. READ MORE
A liberal radio commentator thinks that dangerous as clashing with the European mainstream might seem, it may be politically profitable for Mr Orbán. READ MORE