Népszabadság thinks the Croatian move to put the Chief Executive Officer of Hungary’s oil and gas multinational on the international wanted list was too rude for the Hungarian government to tolerate in silence. The Prime Minister has been practically forced to stand behind Mr Hernádi. READ MORE
A conservative columnist accuses the left of radicalism, after Together 2014 leader Gordon Bajnai urged PM Orbán to step down and disappear from public life. Centrist pundits find Mr Bajnai’s performance pathetic, while the leading left-wing daily regrets the lack of a meaningful dialogue between the right and the left. READ MORE
Left-liberal commentators find Orbán’s speech at the Fidesz Congress uninspiring while a pro-government columnist says Fidesz is preparing for a tough fight. READ MORE
A conservative blogger claims that Orbán could be “Hungary’s Merkel” if he could only show restraint and fashion his party as a “force for stability”. READ MORE
Left-wing commentators hope the agreement will put an end to destructive rivalry within the Left; liberal pundits are sceptical; professional analysts think Bajnai must now prove his ability to attract undecided voters if he wants the alliance to have a chance, while pro-government columnists are divided on whether or not the government can now lean back and consider next year’s election a mere formality. READ MORE
A centrist commentator notes that PM Orbán is surprisingly unaware of how awful the lavish support his government has provided to Felcsút – his hometown – looks to most citizens, while a left-wing analyst says Bajnai’s problem is his lack of political awareness. READ MORE
A left-wing analyst says the protagonists of last week’s angry exchanges all need the conflict to boost their own political plans, but transborder Hungarians in Romania are the ones who will suffer. A liberal columnist, on the other hand, criticizes MSZP leader Attila Mesterházy for reacting to Băsescu’s statement with outrage instead of regarding it as a criticism aimed at PM Orbán. A centre-right columnist from Romania finds it strange that other transborder Hungarians, such as the Hungarians of Slovakia, are much less concerned with their own minority status than Hungarians in Transylvania. READ MORE
Left-wing commentators wonder if the verbal confrontation between the Fidesz strongman and the most influential Hungarian businessman implies a deepening rift between Orbán and his former ally. READ MORE
Commentators find Romanian accusations against Hungary out of proportion with the controversial statements made by Hungarian politicians in Transylvania. A left-liberal columnist thinks even far right Jobbik leader Vona should not be denied the right to travel to and speak in Romania. A pro-government columnist, on the other hand, finds Romanian President Traian Băsescu’s attack on Fidesz, a former international ally, a breach of trust that only serves Băsescu’s presidential campaign. READ MORE
Both national left-wing dailies compare PM Orbán’s plans to revive Hungarian football to Goulash-communism, the Hungarian version of Soviet-style socialism. The two pro-government newspapers celebrate the victories achieved by Hungary at the swimming world championship in Barcelona. READ MORE