Month: October 2025

The V2 version of the ParlText database is released. The database is a comprehensivecollection of legal and parliamentary texts, specifically focusing on Central-Eastern Europe(namely it includes the legislative speeches and laws of Czechia, Hungary, Poland, andSlovakia). It contains nearly 2.3 million text vectors and metadata covering the period fromthe early 1990s up to 2024. The dataset features essential information such as dates, textcontent, policy titles, and, for speeches, parliamentary agendas, and speaker names.

On 2 October 2025, Miklós Sebők participated in a book launch and academic discussion at the ELTE Centre for Social Sciences, where sociologist and political scientist Andrea Szabó presented her new book, titled “Pattern Following and/or Independent Opinion – Trends in Political Interest in Hungary.”  As part of the event, Miklós Sebők emphasised that Hungarian political interest remains low by European comparison, despite recent signs of change after 2020. He highlighted that shifts in interest have historically been tied to regime changes and critical elections, and that variations are visible across generations and social groups. The presentation explored how political apathy can sometimes signal democratic satisfaction, while renewed civic engagement often emerges during moments of disillusionment. Further details of the event can be found here: https://index.hu/belfold/2025/10/03/politika-kozelet-politikai-erdeklodes-valasztas-rendszervaltas-szabo-andrea-bocskei-balazs-sebok-miklos-valuch-tibor/ Photo: Szollár Zsófi, Index, October 3, 2025