Budapest Mayor Karácsony: government’s proposed help is a “political cudgel”

The government’s proposed law on Budapest’s finances is a “political cudgel” that fails to address any real issues, Gergely Karácsony, the city’s mayor, told a press briefing after a Hungarian Municipalities Association (MOSZ) meeting on Tuesday.

Budapest mayor threatened with prison

“The bill claims to enable city borrowing, but this is something we can do already, transparently, from commercial banks,” he said. “The only ‘innovation’ is threatening the mayor with prison for resisting the city’s financial gouging.”

The mayor called for such “hostile proposals to be abandoned for good” in favour of constructive dialogue.

Asked what happens if parliament passed the bill, Karácsony said: “They’ll open a door we won’t walk through.”

Nearly 30 towns face budgetary emergency

Meanwhile, György Gémesi, the mayor of Gödöllő and MÖSZ’s co-chairman, warned that nearly 30 towns now faced a budgetary emergency, proving the crisis extended far beyond Budapest.