Budapest City Council undecided in multiple issues on 1st meeting

The first meeting of the Budapest Assembly did not elect deputy mayors as Mayor Gergely Karácsony did not nominate candidates. The assembly also left the municipality’s by-laws in place without amendments.

The day before the meeting, Karácsony said that he had proposed two deputy mayors, one who represented stability, Ambrus Kiss, while the other deputy mayor should be his erstwhile election rival, Dávid Vitézy, in view of the close result, but for now 17 Tisza Party assembly representatives were unwilling to back his proposal, guided by the party’s national political strategy.

After a lengthy debate on Friday, the assembly decided to postpone the amendment of its by-laws. In the debate, opposition Fidesz-KDNP councillor Laszlo Borocz accused Karácsony of “hiding behind laws” to omit voting on proposals by councillors. Karácsony said the assembly would seek the government office’s interpretation of the law on whether all proposals by councillors should be voted on, even if they had earlier not been submitted by the mayor to the agenda.

Vitézy said the majority of the assembly and the mayor were in disagreement on the pocedure by which the leaders of city-owned companies are appointed, the mayor’s decisions between two assemblies and communication with the public.