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.

Consolidation is one of the buzzwords in Fidesz’ current communication.

No loud gasps were heard when Fidesz nominated its MEP János Áder as the candidate to succeed President Pál Schmitt.

Through its reform of the judicial system, the government has enacted changes that may potentially significantly impact judicial independence.

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.