A left-wing commentator remarks that Marine Le Pen has tried to repair her party’s hitherto poor image as an antidemocratic force, while on the other hand Prime Minister Orbán is doing the opposite – seeking new allies on the far right, after leaving the more centrist European People’s Party. A pro-government columnist rejects the view of a Socialist MEP that Mr Orbán is teaming up with an unpalatable politician. READ MORE
Left-wing and liberal commentators warmly welcome Márki-Zay as the opposition front-runner in next year’s parliamentary election but worry if he will be able to keep the disparate forces of the opposition united during the forthcoming six months. READ MORE
Critics of the opposition ruminate on what the government side should do after Péter Márki-Zay, an outsider, managed to defeat opposition party leaders and become Prime Minister Orbán’s challenger in next April’s parliamentary elections. READ MORE
As the second round of the opposition primary opens, Péter Márki-Zay and Klára Dobrev trade accusations of threatening opposition unity and jeopardizing the chance to defeat Fidesz. READ MORE
By the time the news broke on Friday that Klára Dobrev will face a single challenger, namely Péter Márki-Zay, in the second round of the primaries to choose the opposition prime ministerial candidate in next year’s elections, the weeklies were already on the newsstands. They could therefore not react to Gergely Karácsony’s withdrawal from the race, but most did comment on Márki–Zay’s surprisingly successful performance. READ MORE
Jobbik’s founder and former leader – now a political analyst – suggests that since the two mayors cannot run together for the title of opposition prime ministerial candidate in next year’s election, Márki-Zay should withdraw his nomination to let Karácsony win the opposition primary. READ MORE
Opinions diverge on the government’s policy on families as the Prime Minister and prominent international guests expressed concern about the future of the traditional family at the 4th international forum on demographic issues in Budapest. READ MORE
A left-wing commentator calls on opposition leaders to dissociate themselves from a statement by Jobbik leader Péter Jakab who threatened PM Orbán that he might find himself in prison and be raped by criminals there, in case the opposition wins next year’s election. READ MORE
A conservative commentator believes that Rome and Budapest are ideological allies in the ‘battle against consumerism’. A liberal pundit, on the other hand, thinks that Pope Francis and PM Orbán embrace very different values. READ MORE
The weeklies went to print well before the end of the 52nd International Eucharistic Congress, which wound up in Budapest on Sunday. Opposition-leaning commentators accuse the government of using religion for political purposes, and contrast it with Pope Francis, whom they describe as an authentic believer. A pro-government analyst believes their criticism is disingenuous. READ MORE