Capital Government Commissioner Botond Sára is suing the municipal government of Budapest, he announced in a Facebook post. He alleges that the local government has been operating illegally for months, since they have failed to elect a Deputy Mayor, despite repeated orders from the national government.
The Budapest mayoral election has been historically close this June. After multiple recounts, incumbent Gergely Karácsony from the liberal opposition Dialogue for Hungary party won by just 41 (!) votes. There was no clear majority elected in the City Council either. Confusing power relations between the party factions and little willingness to work with each other make governing even harder for Mayor Karácsony. So, it is no surprise that even electing a Deputy Mayor has been an impossible challenge for him.
‘Despite the alert from the national government, Gergely Karácsony still has no Deputy. If the Mayor and the City Council could not complete this seemingly easy task, what will they do with the budget? It is already apparent that if it is accepted in its current form on Wednesday, it will violate laws. So, it is not surprising either that, as even Gergely Karácsony is not disputing anymore, Budapest is nearing bankruptcy. Its functioning is in danger.
We will take the matter of a lack of Deputy to court, so we can return the municipality to functioning in a legal matter, since the deadline set by the national government has already passed. As for the budget, we will see what the City Council end up doing on Wednesday. We will take all necessary steps to ensure the proper functioning of Budapest, since the safety of comfort of Budapest locals are the most important things to us,’ Capital Government Commissioner Sára explained in a Facebook video.
The runner-up of the closely contested Mayoral election, Dávid Vitézy, was among the two candidates considered for Deputy Mayor. The other candidate is Ambruss Kiss, who held the office between November 2019 and September 2024. The Council has failed to elect either in their November session.
Interestingly, Vitézy was endorsed for Mayor by Fidesz candidate Alexandra Szentkirályi after she dropped out. Vitézy’s later willingness to work with opposition politician figure Karácsony has been seen as a betrayal of Fidesz voters by some, including Szentkirályi herself.
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