One week before the municipal elections, commentators see critical signs on both sides of the dividing line between mainstream parties. But they disagree on the nature of the political model being shaped by a majority which is increasingly left without a powerful opposition. READ MORE
Analysts on the Left debate whether the left-wing parties should or could support Lajos Bokros as candidate for Budapest mayor despite his neoliberal economic ideas. The leading left-wing daily predicts that after the municipal elections, a new round of intra-Left battles will unfold. READ MORE
Commentators from right across the political spectrum agree that the Left is in complete disarray and chaos, as the left-wing Budapest mayoral candidate resigns and left-wing parties fail to reach an agreement on whether they should back a conservative candidate instead of Falus in the October 12 local election. READ MORE
A left-liberal webmagazine expects a real clash within the Fidesz camp after the municipal elections in October, while a pro-government commentator suggests that “a new era will begin” on both sides. READ MORE
Analysts agree that the municipal elections next month will bring another victory for Fidesz. Left-wing chances of victory are confined to a few municipalities only. Rebuilding the Left seems to be only possible in the long run. READ MORE
A month ahead of the municipal elections, conservative columnists agree that the Left has little chance to avoid another defeat. Among the causes of the Left’s decline they mention that it has become ideologically hollow and lacks able leaders on various levels. READ MORE
A right-wing commentator ridicules the on-going feud among left-liberal parties as a sign of utter political incompetence, while his left-wing colleague thinks new rules should be laid down to avoid this kind of „disgrace” in the future. READ MORE
Liberal pundits criticize both Right and Left for not confronting policies which they see as targeting the Roma who live in poverty. A Minister is criticized for his “unfortunate” statement on the Roma Holocaust. A Dutch-Hungarian psychologist calls for the publication of Hungarian crime statistics by ethnicity. READ MORE
Left-wing and liberal columnists accuse the government of rewriting the Budapest municipal election rules in order to secure their victory at the October election, and the Constitutional Court of assisting the government in what they consider as a limitation of basic rights. A conservative analyst contends that the new rules will make the governance of Budapest more effective. Another suggests that accusations of malpractice against the government is a sure sign that the Left anticipates another defeat. READ MORE