During its first year in government Fidesz has passed an unprecedented number of bills, at record speed. One analyst, coming from the political centre, believes that driving like this may prove self-destructive. READ MORE
A green leader’s proposal that a “technical election alliance” be established between right and left wing opposition parties in order to revoke recent constitutional changes, finds little sympathy among media commentators, but some do not dismiss the idea out of hand. READ MORE
Two board members of the think tank set up by the last left wing Prime Minister argue for a compromise between right and left in Hungary over the controversial new Constitution. READ MORE
Few question the advantages of the bilateral agreements signed by PM Viktor Orbán and his counterpart Wen Jiabao on June 25 in Budapest, especially in the mainstream press. Many popular bloggers, however, even on the right of the political spectrum, argue that the government went too far in its courtesy towards the Asian giant. READ MORE
Fidesz secured a two-thirds majority in last year’s election by promising a stronger welfare state. Left-wing commentators suggest that in government they have reneged on their campaign pledges and taken an anti-welfare turn. Overall state intervention in the economy, nonetheless, has not decreased.
The latest data suggest that the Hungarian population is continuing to decline. According to a right-wing daily, the recent changes in the welfare system may have contributed to this sad trend. A left-wing journalist notes that only in-depth surveys would uncover the real causes – one should not automatically blame the current government. READ MORE
The traditional policy of the left – based on solidarity among various groups of the population – is dead, Attila Antal, researcher at the policy think tank, “Méltányosság” (Fairness), concludes in HVG. The ruling conservatives, he adds, are pursuing their own social policy, based on efficient governance and support for the upper middle class. READ MORE
Thousands protested on Thursday (June 16) against the government’s planned changes to the early retirement system. Right-wing commentators detect political motives behind the protests, while left-wing media interpret the demonstrations as a plea for democracy and the rule of law. Both sides appear to assume that a reasonable compromise is not an option. READ MORE
Hungary has grown accustomed to overspending and over-borrowing, and its political parties have fed the population a diet of unrealistic welfare promises. But the leading conservative commentator believes the present government has chosen a new path. READ MORE
Until recently, the Socialists were keen to keep their internal debates and conflicts in a more or less intellectual channel. But not any longer– writes Népszabadság, on the expanding political tensions within the Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP). READ MORE