Two conservative analysts agree that Fidesz has solidified its power and closed the post-Communist era. They caution the government, however, against utopian social engineering and emphasize the need to rein in containing its own elites. READ MORE
A left-wing columnist criticizes the government for claiming historical continuity with István Tisza, an early 20th century conservative statesman. A pro-government commentator, on the other hand, believes that left-wing and liberal politicians are still failing to come to terms both with Hungary’s past, and her national heroes. READ MORE
Commentators try to make sense of the two surprising elements of the news about the third government headed by Viktor Orbán – the planned transfer of several ministries in separate towns and the alleged feud between key Fidesz officials. READ MORE
Conservative pundits believe the Prime Minister is now bereft of significant opponents at home as a result of two consecutive elections, and is therefore seeking new battlefields at the European level. This explains, they suggest, why Mr Orbán was the first front-line EU leader to openly defy Jean-Claude Juncker’s nomination for President of the European Commission. READ MORE
A conservative columnist comments on PM Orbán’s remark about the death penalty points out that taking someone’s life is contrary to Christian values, even if such measures would help to save other lives through discouraging criminals from violent acts. READ MORE
A pro-government columnist says Ukraine is not simply a victim of Russian aggression but a battleground between the US and Russia, and Kiev can only keep eastern Ukraine if it agrees to grant autonomy to local ethnic Russian residents. An opposition daily thinks Hungary has a responsibility towards beyond-border Hungarians but Orbán’s call for autonomy and dual citizenship for Hungarians in Transcarpathia was likely to create tensions in Ukraine and was therefore a cynical move. Another opposition columnist asks what consequences the Ukraine crisis and Orbán’s statement may have for the autonomy plans of Hungarian-speaking Szeklers in Romania. READ MORE
A pro-government commentator suggests that Mr Orbán wants to serve the country as a whole, but the opposition will make national reconciliation impossible. A left-wing daily reads the speech as proof that the Prime Minister will continue to define people of different political views as enemies. A liberal paper thinks that the Prime Minister’s words about national unity hide an intent to suppress liberal and left-wing opinion and initiatives. READ MORE
Commenting on the Prime Minister’s speech in Berlin and his meeting with Chancellor Angela Merkel, a left-wing columnist believes that Mr Orbán’s vision is too conservative even for German Christian Democrats. Right-wing commentators, on the other hand, contend that the German government regards Hungary as an important and reliable economic and geopolitical ally. READ MORE
Most commentators agree that Hungary has made relatively little progress since it joined the European Union ten years ago, despite a net financial transfer amounting to about 1.5 per cent of its GDP. Opinions diverge however on the reasons as well as on the direction European integration should follow. READ MORE
Left-liberal commentators reject the Prime Minister’s statement, which justifies the controversial statue project as a gesture to remember all victims of Nazi occupation. One even calls the statue a Nazi monument that will be blown up. A pro-government columnist says it is obvious that the monument expresses the condemnation of Hungary’s occupation by Hitler’s army and that the government has expressed its grief over the Holocaust and admitted the guilt of Hungarian collaborators in no uncertain terms. READ MORE