Columnists commenting on the weekend Swedish and Brandenburg elections agree that the rise of the far-right is inevitable even in western European countries which were not hit hard by the economic crisis. The growing popularity of far-right radicalism is a good reminder for moderate parties that they should pay more attention to growing inequality and lack of opportunity. READ MORE
Columnists from both left and right express their disappointment that in contemporary Hungary the mayor of a small municipality can gain public attention through staging an idiotic and nonsensical, but at the same time potentially harmful anti-Semitic performance. READ MORE
A liberal analyst wonders whether Fidesz will ban far-right Jobbik after a prominent politician of the movement was accused of spying for Russia. By banning the far-right party, Fidesz could in the short run increase its own constituency, but it would thereby lose the strategic advantage of claiming the centre of the political spectrum, challenged from both sides. READ MORE
Right and left-wing commentators agree that there should be zero tolerance for far-right radicalism. They accuse Jobbik of fomenting hatred, after far-right protesters physically attacked a prominent Hungarian politician from Vojvodina. READ MORE
As the new Parliament meets for the first time after the April election, commentators wonder if the years ahead might bring reconciliation between left and right. READ MORE
One day before the elections political dailies publish passionate battle cries, pinpointing enemies which readers should not vote for under any circumstances, barring an unavoidable national tragedy. Sunday’s general election is the first in Hungary without a 48 hour a ban on campaign messages. Weeklies that mostly appear on Wednesday and Thursday took a more analytical attitude, but also made a final effort to mobilize voters. READ MORE
A liberal commentator encourages mainstream politicians to face Jobbik MPs in public debates as the radical right-wing party is too strong to be ignored. READ MORE
Is Jobbik a post-fascist movement or a fringe protest party? Does it pursue a racist and neo-Nazi ideology? How radical is its agenda? Is it comparable to far-right populist parties in Western Europe? In VS, a new centrist online media outlet, popular intellectuals and pundits discuss Jobbik’s ideology and its electoral prospects in a comparative perspective. READ MORE
Pro-government commentators accuse former PM Ferenc Gyurcsány’s DK party of being ready to cooperate with far right organizations to beat Fidesz. Some liberal commentators agree that the DK’s anti-Orbán rhetoric may have strange side-effects, others point out that local DK leaders acted without the knowledge of the centre and were kicked out of the party immediately. READ MORE
Left-wing and liberal columnists believe that the mostly peaceful Budapest Pride 2013 walk proved a major success or even a breakthrough for gay rights activists. They find it disappointing, however, that the police showed little zeal to pursue radical protesters who beat up three marchers. READ MORE