Fidesz is wrapping up its efforts to uncover instances of verifiable corruption under the previous government.

More than the polling results of individual opposition parties, the question of whether a comprehensive left-wing alliance can be formed has emerged as the crucial issue in terms of evaluating the potential for a government change in 2014.

During the famous ping-pong diplomacy of the 1970s, the People’s Republic of China and the US exchanged visits by table tennis players to pave the way for improved relations between the two countries.

Talk of voter registration has intensified over the summer, and while some argue that Fidesz will ultimately balk because of unpredictable outcomes and/or the fear of judicial intervention, the introduction of some form of registration still appears likely.

If past summers are an indication, the next few weeks won’t be very exciting politically speaking.

At halftime, the opposition is in much the same bad shape as Fidesz.

Fuelled by the perception that its electoral victory was a mandate to influence the course of Hungarian politics for a long time, Fidesz has comprehensively restructured democratic institutions so as to enhance its own powers.

Fidesz has reached the middle of its four-year term, and its goal of quickly boosting growth and adding jobs has failed spectacularly.

Ties to big business and shadowy businessmen have always been a contentious issue in post transition political discourse, but Fidesz excelled at lambasting its predecessor as the ‘banker’s government’.

The Orbán government has reached the middle of its term and it marked the occasion with the first significant cabinet reshuffle since it entered office.