On the scene
"An expression of will"
The Socialist Party has suffered a historic defeat in the local elections, according to Viktor Orban, who claimed the people had unseated Hungary's prime minister.
From Takacs to Csurka
Following a flurry of rival petitions on Monday, the spontaneous political groupings that represent the Kossuth ter demonstrators are trying to sustain the illusion of unity. Nonetheless, fractures are beginning to show, not just between the rival groups, but within them as well. Gyorgy Budahazy, currently sought by the police, has condemned Andras Takacs, one of the demonstration's leaders. And if you can no longer follow who's with whom and what which group wants, then hvg.hu has a summary.
Party or personality?
It is impossible to forecast accurately the outcome of the local elections. Nor is it clear how Gyurcsany's leaked speech to Socialist MPs will affect public opinion. But certain trends do emerge from a Median poll conducted for HVG over the past few weeks.
The Great Hungarian Reality Show
We are living through the worst crisis in the history of the Third Republic. Events have clearly caught the political elites by surprise, both in government and in opposition, just as in October 1956, the commemoration of which has just become an even bigger problem for the Government.
Gyurcsany: Lies Speech
An audio tape has been broadcast of a private party speech given in May by Hungary's prime minister in which he admits his party lied to the public in order to win April's general election. These excerpts - which contain strong language - are translated from Ferenc Gyurcsany's official blog, Amoba.
Regrettable events
It was police passivity that allowed a series of demonstrations held in response to a private speech given by Ferenc Gyurcsany to become the centre of world attention. On a leaked recording of the speech, the Prime Minister acknowledged that the governing coalition had been focused entirely on political survival in the previous parliamentary cycle and that the government had lied in order to win the elections.
"I have no talent for political hysteria"
"Someone who, like me, has lived through several historical storms where one would be quite enough, is no longer afraid of anyone or anything." These are the words of the 89-year-old novelist Magda Szabo, who has just been made an honorary citizen of Budapest. She regretted the fact that society seemed to have returned to the problems from which it seemed to have escaped.
