Budapest mayor Karácsony is no longer co-leader of Párbeszéd party

Opposition party Párbeszéd elected lawmaker Rebeka Szabó and parliamentary group leader Bence Tordai its co-leaders at a congress on Sunday.

The former co-leaders, Gergely Karácsony, who is the mayor of Budapest, and Tímea Szabó, an MP, did not run for the posts again. At a press conference after the vote, Szabó said the congress affirmed the party credo focussing on involvement with sustainability and environmental issues. Everybody has a right to healthy food, clean air and drinking water, and a secure and healthy environment in which to live, she added.

She said Parbeszed is working to build a “green Hungary” and advocating for a “green movement”. She added that a stand must be taken against “rampant capitalism” that “exploits” workers, while ensuring equal access to health care and education.

Read also: Párbeszéd urges government to do all it can to cut greenhouse gas emissions

Problems faced by women need to be addressed, as do equal rights for the Roma and the LGBTQ community, she said. Tordai said party leaders would be tasked with strengthening Párbeszéd as a party in the coming two years.

He added that Karácsony would head a working group preparing the party for the 2024 municipal elections and Tímea Szabó would return to parliament as party group leader in the autumn session.