Budapest city assembly postpones deputy mayor vote amid political tensions

Budapest’s city assembly removed from the agenda a vote on the city’s deputy mayors from its session on Wednesday.

The removal was proposed by Richárd Barabás, group leader of Párbeszéd-Greens, and was adopted with 18 votes for, one against and three abstentions. In a debate before the vote, Barabás said “there seems to be no consensus” concerning the candidates.

Gergely Karácsony, Budapest’s mayor, has proposed Ambrus Kiss, director-general of the mayor’s office, and Dávid Vitézy, group leader of the Podmaniczky Movement, for the posts.

Alexandra Szentkirályi, group leader of the ruling parties, slammed the proceedings and called the vote’s postponement “unserious”.

“The left-liberal majority has the power to elect” those officials, she said, and decried that “a rainbow coalition … as reflected in the nominations for deputy mayor” was forming in the assembly.

In his response, Tisza’s Áron Porcher said his party had not proposed the voting order and that the decision was up to the mayor.

Karácsony said his task was to support the assembly’s decision-making and he had proposed the voting order “aware of that responsibility” and in a transparent manner. He added that “most groups have no objections” to the procedure.