Hungary in the news - via HVG
The majority is cutting out the branch from beneath themon Dec 01, 2006 via HVG Hungarian Roma are unwilling to get into arguments with the local authorities on whom they depend, prefering to put up with legal abuses, according to Erzsebet Mohacsi, a 33-year-old Roma civil rights lawyer. (Sz?ljon hozz?!)See details
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L?szl? Tam?s Pappon Nov 30, 2006 via HVG Wild conspiracy theories are doing the rounds among the right. Supposedly, Gyurcsany deliberately 'unleashed' rioters on the TV headquarters in an attempt to win back the sympathy of a Hungarian public traditionally keen on law and order. If the government wants to refute these rumours, it will need to explain why the head of the Budapest Police, our Iron Prefect, went rusty that night, and who is ultimately responsible for what happened.See details
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Scandals at the Hungarian universitieson Nov 30, 2006 via HVG Scandals surrounding the University of Cluj in Transylvania and the Slovakian government's decision to award development grants in a way that discriminates against Hungarians underpin our concern that the situation of Hungarians beyond the border is getting worse. Even though there are levers we can pull in Brussels and Strasbourg to defend the interests of the Hungarians of Slovakia and Romania, we have achieved little. (Sz?ljon hozz?!)See details
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Mourningon Nov 29, 2006 via HVG A friend told me a story about a family heirloom, a watch, which was broken. He took it to a watchmaker, who exclaimed: "It's a Puskas watch." The reason? "At the end of the 1940s, watches like these were only likely to enter the country in a suitcase belonging to one of the Puskas boys, so watchmaker called them Puskas."See details
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Police solutionson Nov 29, 2006 via HVG Peter Gergenyi's response to the committee investigating the TV headquarters siege has been published. He calls the committee members biased and points the finger of blame at Istvan Ignaczi, commander of the Pest County Police.See details
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Solyoms press conferenceon Nov 28, 2006 via HVG It is for Parliament to choose a prime minister, said Laszlo Solyom, the president of the republic on Sunday. He added that the task of regaining society's trust belonged to the parliamentary majority.See details
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Gyurcsany tables a confidence voteon Nov 28, 2006 via HVG Ferenc Gyurcsany has tabled a vote of confidence against himself while simultaneously congratulating the opposition on its local election victory. Gyurcsany has had Parliament recalled on Friday. The leader of the opposition labelled the move a deceitful trick. People had voted on Sunday, Viktor Orban said, and withdrawn their confidence in Gyurcsany.See details
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Marketingcentrumon Nov 28, 2006 via HVG Sunday's local elections have overturned all previous assumptions, according to Marketingcentrum's head of research. Bela Marian told HVG.hu that the events of recent weeks have driven left-wing voters away from the polls. With his speech on Sunday evening, furthermore, the president of the republic had become a political figure.See details
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"The Presidents speech reflected his moral programme"on Nov 28, 2006 via HVG The President's Sunday evening speech reflected his moral programme, according to Ferenc Weber, his head of press relations. He was reacting to accusations from several government politicians who said the speech was just "oil on the flames."See details
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Orban: Sack the PM within 72 hours!on Nov 28, 2006 via HVG Unless the Socialist Party votes out prime minister Ferenc Gyurcsany by one o'clock on Friday, Fidesz will call citizens to a rally on Kossuth ter on Friday afternoon, Viktor Orban has said.See details
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Political gamblingon Nov 28, 2006 via HVG Viktor Orban's high-stakes gamble could easily turn out badly. Perhaps the best solution would be for Gyurcsany to break off his excursion into the political elite, returning to the world of business in which he has had so much success in the past. Orban might be well advised to head off to the capital of Belgium where he could put his extraordinary talent to use in his role as vice-chairman of the European People's Party. There is little alternative to a compromise between the Socialist Party and Fidesz.See details
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After the ultimatum, before Kossuth teron Nov 28, 2006 via HVG What is Viktor Orban planning? hvg.hu asked the leader of the opposition about his plans and how he sees the situation in the hours ahead of the mass demonstration to be held on Kossuth ter. An end to cultivating false illusions: he also knows that the country is facing a serious crisis. He no longer talks of tax cuts, at least not in the short term. 2007 should be a year for spending cuts, devising a reform programme, moral renewal and reestablishing confidence. For this to happen, however, Gurcsany will have to leave politics, Orban claims.See details
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No light in the tunnelon Nov 28, 2006 via HVG The cost of building the fourth metro could be as much as HUF2bn higher than planned - just for building the station at Fovam ter.See details
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Interview with Fitchs David Heslamon Nov 28, 2006 via HVG The budget has to be balanced, reforms are essential - but the approach adopted, and the person of the prime minister are secondary, according to David Heslam, joint director of Fitch Ratings, the largest European ratings agency.See details
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Agora-phobiaon Nov 28, 2006 via HVG The Kossuth ter protesters are refusing to leave the square even for the events commemorating 1956. They are threatening a repetition of 1956 if policemen try to remove them from the square. As it stands, a square full of tents and cauldrons of stew with the atmosphere of a village wedding is unlikely to make a positive impression on the dignitaries who will arrive from all around the world, and nor will the expected disorder. The TV news crews will be happy, at least: any disturbance would help them spice up their coverage of the commemorative events.See details
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Helsinki Committeeon Nov 28, 2006 via HVG The police were far more professional on 23 October than one month ago. There were some police abuses, however. Not even a full parliamentary enquiry together with police and prosecutorial investigations will reveal the whole truth. Ferenc Koszeg, president of the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, called for civil oversight of the police.See details
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We insiston Nov 28, 2006 via HVG Are the police allowed to gather information about rioters in Budapest from hospital lists of the injured? Civil rights activists are not sure.See details
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Many, but smallon Nov 28, 2006 via HVG Police have received a wave of applications to hold demonstrations on the 50th anniversary of the crushing of the 1956 revolution. Kossuth ter remains off-limits to demonstrators, but other parts of the centre are open.See details
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Belfast and Budapeston Nov 28, 2006 via HVG The implacable hatred held by both left and right for the other side in Hungarian politics can only be compared to that which rages between protestant nationalists and catholic unionists in Belfast. We are in the middle of a 'cold civil war' which has since mid-September been breaking out into 'hot conflicts' in the form of demonstrations and street battles.See details
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Ferenc Koszegon Nov 28, 2006 via HVG The departing depute of the Hungarian Helsinki Committee calls for provost duty regime change with the civil control of the armed forces.See details
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