In light of last week’s events, President Pál Schmitt’s resignation on Monday came as a surprise.

With its proposal to fully release the files on informants working for the secret police under the communist regime, LMP has successfully driven a wedge between Fidesz and significant portions of the right-wing intelligentsia, as well as between the younger and older members of Fidesz’ and KDNP’s parliamentary factions.

After a tumultuous relationship in its first two years in office, Fidesz appears poised to reconcile with the banking sector.

While Fidesz’ standing among likely voters continues to be strong, it experienced a massive collapse among the population at large.

With their profligate ways, many governments have sown the seeds of potential penalties from Brussels on account of excessive budget deficits, but the Orbán-government is now most likely to reap the dire consequences.

Fidesz has promised that the spring session of parliament will be considerably more relaxed than the second half of 2011, when Parliament passed a record number of laws, many of which were controversial to boot.

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán gave his annual state of Hungary address last week. He offered no new insights, but provided an extensive defence of the government’s policies.

After months of protracted debates within the government and between the responsible ministry and various social stakeholders, Parliament finally passed the reform of the higher education system.

Recent allegations that President Pál Schmitt has plagiarised most if not all of his dissertation threaten to harm beyond repair a presidency that has been beset by difficulties to begin with.

Almost a year to date of his last appearance in the European Parliament, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán faced his critics again in a heated plenary session.