Hungary: challenges of system change
After their landslide victory in Sunday's parliamentary election, Hungary's future Prime Minister Péter Magyar and his Tisza Party aim to overhaul the system put in place by Viktor Orbán. Having won a two-thirds majority in parliament, they hope to restore the separation of powers, the rule of law and press freedom in Hungary. Magyar has also called on the country's president, Tamás Sulyok, to step down voluntarily.
Economic landmines beneath banana skins
The new government had better brace itself, warns Népszava:
“Viktor Orbán is biding his time, waiting and making preparations. Plan C is being set in motion. Péter Magyar and his entourage now face a host of economic landmines hidden beneath banana skins. First and foremost, the fuel price cap. Since the oil industry apparently made it clear in advance that it would not again shoulder the costs of a purely political ‘fuel price cap’ – worth several hundred billion forint – it has successfully managed to dump the country’s entire 'cheaply procured' emergency reserves of petrol and diesel onto the market. ... Well, these will run out in a few days.”
Great expections of Magyar
Hvg lampoons the somewhat lofty expectations of Péter Magyar:
“If he doesn't just care about the post, but also about the legacy of Lajos Batthyány [Hungary's first prime minister], then he will bear in mind the April laws [of 1848] which dismantled feudalism, laid the foundations for parliamentarism and the separation of powers and guaranteed the independence of the press. That's all we ask of him – plus, of course, to get the economy back on track for growth, push through conversion to the euro, reform the education and health systems, reconcile with Europe and our neighbours, end the stalemate with Iran, secure both the Summer and Winter Olympics for Budapest, and also establish a Hungarian space base on Mars. What could possibly go wrong?”
Will they ask for forgiveness?
Válaszonline demands an honest reckoning with the Orbán era, especially in matters of press freedom:
“Without exception, the members of Viktor Orbán’s government bear primary responsibility for the crimes of recent years. If they were to now suddenly take the floor here, we have an opening question ready for them. We make no secret of this. The question is: Will you ask Hungary to forgive you for the outrageous lies and institutionalised theft? ... If the answer is yes, we can start talking. Then we can talk about reality, about the circumstances that led to this, about how it all got so bad, about how they were capable of doing such things. That is what interests us about them: an honest reckoning.”