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Is Viktor Orbán’s next project to undo the Treaty of Lisbon?
Today’s big news in Hungary is that Ildikó Csuhaj of Népszabadság learned “from a source close to the government” that, after a valid and successful referendum, Viktor Orbán is planning to move onto...
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October 3 may not be a day of rejoicing for the Hungarian government
Viktor Orbán has put a tremendous amount of energy into having a valid and successful referendum, although it is not clear what he wants to do with it, at least at home. He is certainly keeping his...
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What will Viktor Orbán have in his satchel when he goes to Brussels on...
I don’t even know where to start because there are so many fascinating topics to pick from. Perhaps the most significant comes from Magyar Nemzet. The paper learned from “diplomatic sources” that...
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Brussels after the Hungarian referendum
Although the Hungarian media is full of the story that Antal Rogán lied about his extravagant helicopter ride to a wedding, I would rather talk about the Hungarian referendum’s reception in Brussels....
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Are the bureaucrats of Brussels afraid of Orbán as the Devil is of incense?
The pro-government Hungarian media triumphantly announced today that Martin Schulz, president of the European Union, who had been described earlier as the greatest enemy of Viktor Orbán, has finally...
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Orbán came home from the summit empty-handed
Viktor Orbán has had a very busy schedule in the last few days. He paid a visit to Munich, where the socialist members of the Bavarian parliament (Landtag) were less than thrilled with the Hungarian...
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The constitutional amendments failed: Another blow to Orbán
As soon as I turned my computer on this morning, a desk-top notification from a Hungarian internet news site informed me that the vote on Viktor Orbán’s amendments to the constitution had failed. He...
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After the US election: Europe is anxiously waiting
Mother Jones published a funny article back in September about Trump’s hectic first day in office. On the basis of his election promises, the author compiled a to-do list of 21 items. Here are a few...
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The Orbán government stands fast at home and abroad
At home Viktor Orbán was expected to have a difficult time in parliament today. It was one of those times that the prime minister has to answer questions. He cannot pass the unpleasant task on to one...
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Hungarians on foreign affairs and the U.S. election
I’m very pleased with Vasárnapi Hírek’s decision to commission Publicus Research Institute to conduct public opinion polls. Its latest, which was published today, deals with Hungarians’ views on...
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The Orbán regime and the Austrian presidential election
A few hours ago newspapers all over the world announced that Norbert Hofer, the far-right candidate for the Austrian presidency, had lost the election. Pre-election polls indicated that the election...
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Wakeup call: The PISA results reveal deep problems
The outcry over the PISA results is not subsiding. On the contrary. As more details surface, the magnitude of the problem is dawning on commentators. If almost 30% of Hungarian students at the age of...
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Another summit, another battle: Viktor Orbán forges on
In this post I’m covering an unfinished story: the Brussels summit of the European Council that is taking place today and tomorrow. I believe, however, that I have enough Hungarian material to make...
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András Kósa: The speech of the chief, Őszöd ten years later, Part III
Gyurcsány’s attempt to interpret the speech in Őszöd as the beginning of a new era András Kósa, a well-known Hungarian journalist, recently published The Speech of the Chief: Őszöd after Ten Years, a...
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Hungary as the Orbán family’s private estate
It was almost a year ago that I wrote a post about the then newly launched real estate business of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s son-in-law, István Tiborcz. The young man, when he was barely out of...
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Viktor Orbán misunderstands Donald Trump
Unfortunately, Viktor Orbán’s speech delivered this morning at a conference organized by the Hungarian National Bank is still not available in its entirety. Nonetheless, I will try to cover it as fully...
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Sebastian L. von Gorka’s encounter with the Hungarian National Security Office
I’m sure that many of Hungarian Spectrum’s readers were expecting me to write about the Putin visit to Budapest, but only a few hours after Putin’s airplanes, all three of them, landed at the Ferenc...
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Orbán: “one of the greatest virtues is to know where one’s place is”
Anyone who has the patience to sit through 40 minutes of a bad English translation of the joint press conference given by Vladimir Putin and Viktor Orbán can’t help noticing that the two politicians...
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Russian-Hungarian exchange of top security information
After a lot of suspense, the fate of Paks II, to be built by Rosatom and financed by the Russian government, has been settled. The European Commission threw in the towel. Admittedly, there is still a...
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A multi-speed Europe and the Visegrád Four
While Viktor Orbán is celebrating his “victory” in his fight with the European Commission over the expansion of the Paks Nuclear Power Plant, politicians in the western half of the continent are busily...
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