On Thursday, the Budapest electoral committee of Fidesz unanimously nominated Alexandra Szentkirályi as the Fidesz-KDNP candidate for chief mayor of the capital city. Press leaks about Szentkirályi’s candidacy had already surfaced in previous days. However, according to Fidesz’s statutes, the National Election Committee, led by House Speaker László Kövér, will ultimately make the final decision.
‘Running for mayor is an honour and a responsibility. I thank you for your trust, I will try to use all my knowledge and experience for the benefit of the city, because I believe that Budapest deserves more!’ Alexandra Szentkirályi wrote in her Facebook post. At the same time, she announced that she will resign from her position as government spokesperson. ‘This wonderful and very eventful period for me is now over, I will no longer continue my work as government spokesperson,’ she added.
Alexandra Szentkirályi, wife of Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky, began her career in Fidelitas, the youth organization of the governing party, in 2007. From 2010 to 2014, she served as a member of the Fidesz-KDNP faction of the capital’s municipality, concurrently holding various positions related to Budapest affairs.
She gained more prominence in 2014 when
she became the youngest-ever Deputy Mayor alongside István Tarlós.
At the age of 27, she assumed responsibility for human affairs in Budapest, overseeing areas such as culture, education, social and youth policy, sports, environment, tourism, and image.
After István Tarlós was defeated by the opposition candidate Gergely Karácsony in 2019, Szentkirályi transitioned to a government position following her service in Budapest, assuming the role of government spokesperson on 1 January 2020. Throughout this period, she faced no less challenging circumstances than the coronavirus pandemic, compounded by the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war almost immediately after the pandemic subsided.
There have long been rumours surrounding the potential candidacy of Szentkirályi. In an interview with hirado.hu in the summer of 2023, former Mayor István Tarlós expressed his belief that his former deputy could garner the highest number of votes in the forthcoming elections.
Later, Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén told ATV that the Fidesz-KDNP candidate had not been finalized, but he remarked: ‘Alexandra Szentkirályi is a remarkable individual.’
Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony responded to Szentkirályi’s candidacy, stating in a Facebook post: ‘The mayor represents the people of Budapest, not the spokesperson of the government.’
This year’s municipal elections will coincide with the European Parliament elections on 9 June. As of now, the candidates running for the mayor’s seat include Gergely Karácsony, Koloman Brenner from Jobbik, András Grundtner, representing the radical right-wing Mi Hazánk, and Bálint Szabó, a former municipal councillor from Szeged.
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