The Hungarian parliament, dominated by supporters of PM Viktor Orbán, has voted overwhelmingly for a set of constitutional amendments that opponents, including the EU, the US and human rights groups, fear will undermine the country’s 24-year-old democracy. The concern is that the enlargement of the EU since 2004 has brought into the bloc Central and… Continue »

There has been a barrage of English-language communications from the government since this case put Hungary back on the news radar. The official line on the Fourth Amendment to Hungary’s new Constitution is that criticism over its latest constitutional amendment, particularly concerns voiced abroad, are the result of “misunderstandings”, as Foreign Minister János Martonyi wrote… Continue »

A people’s initiative got under way. That is in order. Twice the number of signatures needed was collected. That is also in order. Parliament put the topic on the agenda. That is also in order. It was scheduled for debate late at night, which is less in order. The government’s keynote speaker made some strange… Continue »

Amendments to take effect next year will swell middle-class pay packets, the chief whip of the ruling Fidesz party, Antal Rogán, said on Monday. A bill submitted by National Economy Minister György Matolcsy last Friday will see the elimination of the “super-grossing” of the personal income tax base. The change will mean the government’s flagship… Continue »

The Facebook protest group Milla, now an officially registered organisation, plans to hold a huge anti-government demonstration next Tuesday, a public holiday. In the wake of the government’s latest package of austerity measures, many will be looking for signs that Hungarians are ready to join the European backlash. With petrol bombs flying in Athens and… Continue »

Former prime minister Gordon Bajnai will address a large opposition rally on 23 October, news website index.hu reported on Wednesday. This echoed a report on the website of news weekly HVG, which suggested two days earlier that the leader of a one-year technocrat government in 2009-2010 intends to return to politics and seeks to unite… Continue »

Opinion polls indicate that fewer and fewer people are satisfied with the way things are going in the country and fewer and fewer people accept those persons exercising power. Nevertheless, the so-called democratic opposition has not yet determined to join forces formally, and, according to Medián’s research results, the introduction of voter pre-registration also increases… Continue »

While Western social scientists are seeking an answer to the same question – what will the world order be like after the global financial crisis? – often these debates seem to have gone unnoticed in Hungary. What role will China and the emerging economies play in the world? How can billions of people be lifted… Continue »

The National Consultation announced by the government has again stirred up a hornet’s nest. The Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) called for a boycott and far-right party Jobbik branded it demagogy. Is the uproar justified? The question is not a simple one. The government and the opposition seem to have a different interpretation of the essence… Continue »

The French and Greek elections brought forth the same combative opposition to austerity measures as when Fidesz came to power two years ago. The difference is that while Greece is seeking to wriggle out of the cuts laid down in the bail-out package and France is looking to avoid the role of “policeman” undertaken jointly… Continue »