Political Forecast
Although Hungary currently has no urgent need for outside financing, the IMF loan served as a safety net should the country find itself in a tight spot....
As the new government will have little room for boosting the budget deficit, its economic policy will not represent a sharp turn from that pursued by the Bajnai-cabinet....
The Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) government continues to be stable despite persistent economic troubles and a drop in popularity....
As Fidesz gets closer to governance, its politicians are becoming more and more cautious when talking about their program. Fidesz’s policy wonks are putting less emphasis on stimulating the economy....
Public attention is focused on the special operations against organized crime. These operations will allow GERB to establish a normal chain of command in the security services....
Despite the eternal bickering, the situation in the coalition and parliament is essentially stable. An imminent political crisis, government reshuffle or leadership change is not on the horizon....
Fidesz continues to dominate the polls, regardless of accusations that it does not have a program. The Socialists are pushing a more populist tone in order to mobilize their traditional voters....
Neither the hardships of the global economic crisis nor a scathing IMF report on Montenegro’s fiscal performance has managed to loosen the governing Democratic Party of Socialists’s grip on power....
Montenegro’s loan negotiations with the International Monetary Fund hang in the balance after the IMF pinpointed several shortcomings in Montenegrin finances....
The latest polls show the greatest number of Macedonians supporting the governing coalition, but some of them indicate the main opposition party is closing the gap....
Slovenian government leaders will face an uphill climb this year in implementing their economic program after spending 2009 clumsily trying to find their feet amid the global recession....
The Socialists and the governments suffered numerous setbacks. The property tax has been abolished, more and more heads roll at BKV and the party's poll numbers failed to improve....
While the decision to establish diplomatic relations with Kosovo has heightened tensions with Serbia in the short term, the move scored political points in both Washington and Brussels....
The government of GERB experienced its first international failure with the poor performance and the followed withdrawal of the initial Bulgarian EU Commissioner-Designate Rumiana Jeleva....
Montenegro in 2009 saw positive developments in its bid to EU-accession. However, the economic outlook hasn't improved for 2010, which forecasts numerous conflicts in the new year....
The president is expected to announce the dates of the 2010 general election in late January, with the first round likely to fall on April 11 and the second on April 25....
Most Hungarian parties have finished their preparations for the election campaign, and the political debate next year will be dominated by the quest for votes....
Apart from minor conflicts GERB remains stable, while opposition parties continue to feud among themselves....
Many economic analysts say Slovenia will not be able to avoid a new wave of privatization.Some assert that the government is already drawing up a list of companies in which to divest....
Montenegro’s 2010 budget foresees an ever-narrowing range of financial resources as the crisis grinds on. The state will probably be forced to go into debt in order to keep fiscal equilibrium....
