Commenting on PM Orbán’s unwillingness to participate in a TV debate of candidates for the premiership, a leading conservative columnist says fair play and reasonable arguments would be prerequisites for a meaningful political debate. READ MORE
Commentators on both the right and left fear that Jobbik may increase its constituency yet further in the 6 April Parliamentary election, after reaping almost 17 per cent of the popular vote four years ago. Left-wing commentators argue against despair, and one lays the blame for the bankruptcy of the Left on the Liberals and personally on Ferenc Gyurcsány. READ MORE
The leading pro-government daily accuses DK leader Ferenc Gyurcsány of planning violence if the opposition alliance wins.
Commentators agree that the revelations of a former Socialist MP ,who served six years in prison for corruption, are extremely painful for the Left. Left-wing authors add however, that they believe the claims have been fabricated for propaganda purposes. READ MORE
A left-wing commentator accuses the government of manipulating the election through gerrymandering and domination of the media. A columnist in the leading left-wing daily contends that the public media distorts even reports on events on Ukraine in order to save PM Orbán’s face. A pro-government pundit, on the other hand, accuses former PM Gyurcsány of having manipulated the 2006 elections. READ MORE
As former PM Gyurcsány denies having leaked his famous “lie-speech”, left-wing columnists suggest that the publication of the tapes and even the riots which followed could have been orchestrated by Fidesz politicians. Pro-government commentators, on the other hand, contend that Gyurcsány’s involvement in the leak is beyond doubt. READ MORE
Left-wing commentators do not find the released documents convincing and suspect that they might serve electoral purposes. Nevertheless, the leading left-wing daily calls on Ferenc Gyurcsány to reveal what he knows about the matter if he wants to clear his name. READ MORE
On the left, Viktor Orbán’s annual Sunday speech is described as “success propaganda” and scaremongering, while pro-government commentators condemn Ferenc Gyurcsány’s Saturday speech as “scandalous” from the man they hold responsible for his country’s demise. READ MORE
Left-wing pundits maintain that the new alliance is the only possible hope to challenge PM Orbán, albeit a rather slender one. Pro-government columnists consider the deal as proof that the left lacks ideas. READ MORE
Liberal columnists are highly sceptical about a new opposition pact which incorporates Ferenc Gyurcsány into Gordon Bajnai and Attila Mesterházy’s alliance. Some blame leading progressive intellectuals for interfering with the political process. In a lone optimistic column, a political analyst linked to the Socialist Party suggests that all is not yet lost.