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Andy Vajna’s TV station: the government’s attack dog
This afternoon Viktor Orbán was in the uncomfortable position of having to answer questions from members of the opposition parties on the floor of the parliament. The first question, “Let’s show the...
View ArticleThe Orbán regime’s reaction to the scandal at the Hungarian National Bank
The Hungarian National Bank cagily released the documentation on its foundations’ grants and contracts Friday night after 5 p.m., but the timing didn’t help much. The outcry was immediate. And ever...
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Viktor Orbán and his protector Péter Polt, the prosecutor-general
A noteworthy article appeared in B1, a blog that identifies itself as a site “where blogging begins.” I must admit that I had never heard of it until yesterday, when I received three e-mails from three...
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András Lánczi: What others call corruption is the raison d’être of Fidesz
Yesterday U.S. Ambassador Colleen Bell gave a speech at the Central European University about American perspectives on migration, security, and foreign policy. There was a lot of talk about the rule of...
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Antal Rogán’s decision to sue might have backfired
In April of 2015 Antal Rogán, today one of the most important members of the Orbán government, sued Péter Juhász of Együtt because Juhász had called him a criminal in connection with his real estate...
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ONE OF THE FIRST STEPS AFTER BREXIT MUST BE THE REFORM OF THE EU BUDGET
As always, Hungarian Spectrum welcomes democratic voices from and about Hungary. Today András Lukács, President of the Hungarian NGO Clean Air Action Group (Levegő Munkacsoport) and Board Member of...
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Antal Rogán’s legal troubles: two organized crime bosses know a lot about him
The last time I wrote about Antal Rogán’s possible link to members of organized crime was a month ago, after Tamás Portik’s devastating testimony in a civil suit Rogán initiated against Péter Juhász....
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How do Hungarians see Viktor Orbán’s political system and its corruption?
I don’t know whether you have ever encountered people from Hungary, mostly those who are no friends of Fidesz and the government, who tell you that this government is thoroughly disliked by a large...
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The siphoning of public funds in Hungary
Today I will outline two cases where public money appears to have ended up in the pockets of favored individuals or in Fidesz coffers. The first case involves the Hungarian National Bank and Századvég;...
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A candid interview with Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó. Part I
Members of the Orbán government rarely give interviews to news outlets that don’t belong to the government-controlled media empire. I can count on one hand Fidesz politicians who have dared to walk...
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Another Fidesz scandal: Hunguard and Antal Rogán, the inventor
Scandal after scandal in Fidesz circles. Following on the heels of the revelations about the alleged bribery case involving Roland Mengyi, here is a new one. This time a much more important person is...
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Roland Mengyi, the Fidesz Voldemort: from billionaire’s front man to politician
This is the story of Roland Mengyi’s sudden appearance, out of total obscurity, in high politics. The original article titled “Egy milliárdos táskahordójából lett politikus a fideszes Voldemort” (The...
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The latest revelations in the Roland Mengyi case
People unfamiliar with Viktor Orbán’s Hungary might think that I’m spending far too much time on the case of Roland Mengyi, a Fidesz MP. So what, they might say. They caught a politician who is a...
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Plans for a system of Fidesz party courts?
The tightening political stranglehold of the Fidesz government on Hungarian institutions and society in general leads many people to the conclusion that this regime cannot be defeated in a democratic...
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The Orbán government’s colossal swindle: the residency bonds
It’s time to return to one of the largest scams the Orbán government has come up with to date: the sale of “residency bonds.” The project was launched in 2013. It allowed a citizen of a non-European...
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When a love affair is no private matter: The case of György Matolcsy
Until very recently the Hungarian media had left politicians’ private lives alone. In the last few months, however, there has been a decided change in attitude. I think it was 888.hu, a...
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The Orbán government’s corruption unveiled by investigative journalists
Index published an extraordinary piece of investigative journalism on November 11, written by András Dezső, Szabolcs Panyi, and Nikita Hava. The first two reporters are well known for their...
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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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Viktor Orbán and Ghaith Pharaon: The end of a business relationship?
Although I’m aware that regular commenters on Hungarian Spectrum seem to be interested only in the aftermath of Donald Trump’s victory, I have to return to Hungarian affairs. After all, the blog’s...
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Hungary quits the Open Government Partnership in a huff
Yesterday the Associated Press reported the Hungarian government’s decision to quit the Open Government Partnership (OGP), “a multilateral initiative that aims to secure concrete commitments from...
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