The leading left-wing daily contends that the government wants to curtail the rights of the Constitutional Court by amending the Basic Law. A conservative lawyer, on the other hand, criticizes the Constitutional Court for not strictly applying the principles of the new Basic Law. READ MORE
Analysts ponder the message and the wider implications of a first decision by the Constitutional Court to strike down mandatory voter registration. READ MORE
A right-wing commentator praises the Orbán government for continuing Saint Stephen’s heritage by strengthening the Hungarian state. A left-wing columnist, on the other hand, accuses the government of betraying the legendary Hungarian king’s efforts to modernize the country, by weakening democracy and turning away from the West. READ MORE
In his analysis of the left-wing reception of former president László Sólyom’s recent criticism of government policies, a Marxist philosopher calls his fellow left-wingers intolerant, while a conservative columnist admits that the right-wing press is silent because it would find it difficult to challenge Mr Sólyom’s verdict. READ MORE
A pro-government columnist finds it disturbing that the left-wing media, which is quick to demand the prosecution of alleged Nazi-era criminals, is silent in the case of György Mátsik, an iconic figure of the Communist purges in the aftermath of the 1956 revolution. The right-wing commentator believes that crimes against humanity should not be distinguished frome one another on an ideological basis. READ MORE
A centrist commentator emphasizes that the Hungarian Constitutional Court, by invoking Hungary’s ’historical constitution’, found a weapon against the government’s attempts „to govern through constitutional changes.” The pro-government media mostly passed over the July 16th decision, while liberal commentators pointed out that six of the seven dissenting judges were Fidesz-appointees. READ MORE
A centrist analyst believes that Fidesz did not embark on a wholesale overhaul of scores of political institutions in order to put an end to democracy in Hungary, but because the party felt that the institutional environment has always favoured its adversaries. Fidesz decided, therefore, to change that environment. READ MORE
Commentators agree that the debate on Hungary in the EP was of a low standard. A pro-government daily praises PM Viktor Orbán’s performance, while a left-wing commentator points out that that all MEPs followed their party lines. A centrist political analyst believes that it is still not certain that a compromise will be reached between the EU and the Hungarian government. READ MORE
Commentators from the political centre wonder if the anti-government demonstrations on January 2 mark a turning point in Hungarian politics. They suggest that the presence of tens of thousands of Hungarians on the streets shows that the Orbán government is losing support. Right-wing commentators, on the other hand, claim that the opposition uses the NGOs for its own purposes. READ MORE