Left-liberal intellectuals blamed for election defeat

A left-liberal daily says intellectuals might be an easy target now, but they did not stop the Socialists from touring the country and convincing people to vote for them.

The Left stands accused of radicalism

A pro-government columnist thinks the Left hasn’t learned the lesson of the elections and sticks to the radical language which, he suggests, caused its crushing defeat on April 6th. He predicts that these tactics will further weaken the left-wing opposition.

Insider criticism of MAZSIHISZ anniversary boycott

Representatives of a prominent Jewish foundation condemn the decision by the Union of Jewish Religious Communities (Mazsihisz) to boycott state ceremonies held during the Holocaust remembrance year. They call that decision a serious error of judgement which has already resulted in strengthening anti-Semitism.

Fears and hopes for the next four years

Commentators wonder whether or not the next Orbán government will strike a more conciliatory tone, and seek compromises in the economy and in symbolic battles at home and on the European scene.

Holocaust remembrance conflicts explained

A liberal analyst predicts that the Prime Minister will reject the demands put forward by Jewish leaders as pre-conditions for their presence at the government sponsored events of the Holocaust remembrance year. A right-wing pundit, on the other hand blames “uneducated” advisers who led the Prime Minister into a controversy ...

No end in sight for World War Two controversies

In the increasingly polarized debate over the commemoration of the Holocaust and the Nazi occupation of Hungary, a left-wing and a liberal pundit call for a boycott of government sponsored events. A moderate conservative commentator, on the other hand, fears that the lack of compromise on the memorial will only ...

Culture wars over Holocaust anniversary

A left-wing commentator welcomes a statement by the leaders of the Jewish religious communities who are threatening to withdraw from the state commemorations to mark the 70th anniversary of the Holocaust, unless the government changes its approach to history and stops implicitly whitewashing Hungarian wartime collaborators. A pro-government columnist accuses ...

Foreign press under fire

A pro-government weekly carries a long list of baseless allegations about Hungary in the foreign press, while a liberal news outlet criticizes Die Welt for misinterpreting an interview with a Hungarian historian, and failing to provide space for a rebuttal.

Speaker Kövér’s ‘rule by decree’ case

Commenting on the Speaker of Parliament's recent radio interview, left-wing columnists accuse Mr. Kövér of proposing the revival of a rule by decree system. Conservative pundits as well as a group of left- liberal constitutional lawyers say that Mr. Kövér had no undemocratic intentions, and agree that the current legislative ...

The Nyírő saga continues

Right and left accuse each other of acting in bad faith in connection with the government-sponsored, but failed reburial of Transylvanian writer József Nyírő. A liberal analyst believes both sides need enemies in order to mobilise their own  troops.