A centrist blogger joins scores of left-wing commentators in condemning Viktor Orbán’s statement that power is indispensable to create national cohesion. Debates have also erupted around the decision taken by the Fidesz leadership to introduce preliminary voter registration. READ MORE
Commentators across the political spectrum ponder possible parallels between the practices of the prime ministers of Hungary and Romania. Those on the left think that although Ponta follows a recipe devised by Orbán, the Romanian PM has not initiated a fully-fledged offensive against democratic institutions. Right-wing pundits, on the other hand, note that Orbán became PM in democratic elections and his government complies with democratic norms – neither of which applies to his Romanian counterpart. READ MORE
Commenting on an MSZP proposal to introduce mandatory voting, Róbert Friss in Népszabadság fears that rewarding active voters would neither help to roll back populism nor increase democratic legitimacy. READ MORE
Commentators ponder what the actual meaning and possible consequences of Saturday’s pro-government rally will be. According to right-wing commentators, the Orbán government will start the negotiations with the European Commission and the IMF about a loan from a better position. Left-wing pundits believe the opposite. 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
Liberal and conservative pundits wonder if the anti-government NGOs and the opposition parties have a program which could constitute a real alternative to the Orbán government. The commentators suggest the anti-government groups have no clear ideas about what they want to do after ousting Orbán. If successful, such politics would only perpetuate populist rhetoric, they argue. READ MORE
A left-wing columnist finds Le Monde’s latest caricature depicting Orbán as a radical right-wing politician a clear overstatement and a false hyperbole. But he warns that the cartoon indicates that the West is highly critical of the course being followed by 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
A leading right-wing commentator and long time critic of US policies calls upon the Hungarian Foreign Ministry to return American criticism of Hungary’s pivotal laws in kind. READ MORE