As the dispute over George Soros and his network rolls on and grows ever more bitter, pro-government weeklies and dailies call for harsh measures to curb the alleged influence of the Hungarian-born philanthropist and his foundations. A left-wing journalist accuses the government of absurd falsifications and fear-mongering. READ MORE
As Parliament begins to debate a bill on NGOs which receive foreign funding, pundits across the political spectrum discuss the idea of an ‘open society’, an ideal frequently evoked by George Soros, and assess the status and political role of NGOs in Hungary. READ MORE
Commenting on PM Orbán’s Easter interviews, a conservative critic of the government thinks that Fidesz has alienated its conservative intellectual supporters. A pro-government commentator shares the PM’s view, when he detects George Soros behind the recent anti-government protests. READ MORE
After a week of demonstrations in support of the American-Hungarian Central European University and watchdog NGOs, but before Good Saturday’s rally in Szabadság (freedom) square, Hungarian weeklies ponder if the current wave of protest will fatally wound the governing forces or share the fate of previous ad hoc movements and fade away. READ MORE
As the State Department urges Hungary to suspend the implementation of the new Higher Education Act, commentators disagree sharply on what lies behind the controversy within Hungary and internationally. READ MORE
After President Áder ordered the promulgation of the amended Act on Higher Education, political polarisation has reached new levels in the Hungarian press. READ MORE
A statement by the spokesman of the State Department has added further vigour to the debate over the future of Budapest’s Central European University. One side forthrightly condemns the planned new legislation, while the other dismisses the unfolding protest as mere hysteria. READ MORE
In the first pro-government reaction to the row over a freshly tabled bill on foreign-based universities operating in Hungary, a right-wing writer wonders if the government will cave in to pressure from what he regards as ‘powerful forces bent on protecting privileged institutions.’ READ MORE
A staunch critic of liberal intellectuals explains why he opposes the worldview represented by the Soros-funded Budapest Central European University, but would deem it undemocratic to close it down. READ MORE
As the Education Agency claims it has detected irregularities in the functioning of 28 foreign owned universities in Hungary and the Minister of Human Resources has tabled a bill to tighten their regulation, a left-wing commentator believes the real target is Central European University, founded and mostly funded by Hungarian-born investment tycoon George Soros. READ MORE