Socialist candidate sweeps Újpest by-election
Wednesday, November 26th, 2014In a note on Sunday’s by-election result, in which the Socialist candidate scored over 50 per cent, a pro-government commentator suggests that a mass of “furious” voters now exist who are ready to choose anyone in their impatience to get rid of Fidesz. A leftist analyst agrees, while a liberal commentator warns that even if Fidesz were to lose its two thirds majority in parliament, its rule would not be in jeopardy. READ MORE
Ethnic Hungarian vote helped elect Romania’s German president
Tuesday, November 18th, 2014A conservative analyst argues that the election of an ethnic German and a Protestant as president of Romania is a great novelty for ethnic Hungarians who have often felt being considered by the majority as a secessionist threat. READ MORE
Jobbik’s sweeping victory in Ózd
Monday, November 17th, 2014A liberal and a centrist commentator reed the success of the radical right-wing candidate in the Ózd municipal election as proof that left-wing voters are willing to support the far right if they see in that option an opportunity to defeat Fidesz. READ MORE
Socialist candidate’s KGB certificate
Tuesday, November 11th, 2014A liberal columnist finds it highly problematic that the Socialists support a candidate with past KGB affiliation in a parliamentary by-election scheduled for the end of November. READ MORE
Opposing assessments of low electoral turnout
Wednesday, October 15th, 2014Left-wing liberal columnists contend that the Fidesz victory in the municipal elections is the result of growing defeatism and apathy among voters. A conservative commentator, on the other hand, believes that low turnout is an indication of voters’ confidence and trust in the governing party. READ MORE
Fidesz dominates local elections
Tuesday, October 14th, 2014Commenting on the results of the municipal elections, the leading left-wing daily calls for a complete overhaul of the Left in order to stop the emergence of what it calls a totalitarian one-party system. The leading pro-government daily points out that the Left managed to increase its support slightly within the new electoral system which it often called illegitimate and biased. READ MORE
Elections overshadowed by the drama of the Left
Monday, October 13th, 2014Left facing vote with slim expectations
Saturday, October 11th, 2014A left-wing pundit exhorts left-wingers to go to the polls on Sunday, even if the odds are bad, and then start rebuilding the Left from scratch the day after, lest it disappear altogether. READ MORE
Jobbik’s modest expectations and softer tone
Tuesday, October 7th, 2014A left-wing analyst remarks that in its campaign ahead of Sunday’s municipal elections the radical right wing party is using a more moderate tone. He suggests that the softening of rhetoric is not just a tactical weapon but reflects a change in Jobbik’s social background. READ MORE