Local election – Scandalous Győr mayor Zsolt Borkai quits Fidesz

Zsolt Borkai, head of the Fidesz party’s organisation in Győr, who was narrowly reelected on Sunday as the western Hungarian city’s mayor, has announced that he is quitting the ruling party.

During the past week, news were full of Borkai’s sex scandal after which he apologised for his actions, but stated that he would not resign as he did not commit anything illegal.

According to the most recent news, he is quitting Fidesz and continuing his work as an independent mayor as he does not want his “misstep” to overshadow the morality of Fidesz.

Borkai said he would continue as an independent in cooperation with the Fidesz-Christian Democrat (KDNP) group and “Győr’s citizens”.

He added that he was staying on as the city’s mayor to honour Győr citizens’ trust in him shown at the ballot box.

The opposition Democratic Coalition (DK) called for Borkai to resign from the mayoralty immediately. At a press conference, DK spokesman Balázs Barkoczi said the mayor’s “corruption and sex scandal seems to have been left without any real consequences”.

He is quitting Fidesz of his own accord instead of being expelled, he noted.

DK has filed a report with the Croatian police, where video footage of Borkai apparently participating in a sex act is said to have been made, so that the matter will be investigated “since the Fidesz-affiliated [Hungarian] prosecution service and authorities remain idle,” Barkoczi said.