Hungary Since the Election: U-Turns, Broken Promises and Empty Coffers

After promising voters in the spring election campaign and until as late as June that his government wouldn't touch the low utility price policy - in contrast to the opposition - less than four months later on July 21 the commissioner responsible for maintaining the subsidy regime announced that, above a so-called average consumption level, electricity prices would double and natural gas would cost seven times more from August 1.

Until now, Hungarians have paid the lowest electricity and gas prices in the EU, thanks to massive state subsidies. This blatant breach of campaign promises has left the public reeling, instilling a fear of cold rooms and lukewarm showers. Meanwhile, the government looks desperate - the Interior Ministry recently requested public schools in a letter, leaked to the media, whether they could switch from gas to firewood this winter.

Bender is also worried. "We live in a rented apartment, the roof is not insulated, the windows are large and old. I don't think it is fair to introduce changes so drastically, especially after they said nothing about it in the election campaign," she says.

Still, she does not think the opposition would be much better equipped to lead the country.

Aron Kubatovics, a freelancer working in communications and design, was less blindsided by the government's backtracking: "Of course, I saw this coming. The country is on the brink of bankruptcy, and the government is panicking," he tells BIRN, making no secret of his ill-feelings towards the government.

"The tax increase is bad enough, but I will survive. But the high utility prices will push a lot of people into a very difficult situation. According to my rough calculations, I will have to pay five times more for gas, and there is not...