Budapest Local Government Election: Detailed Translation

The two-tier system:

23 districts with their own independent local governments
Budapest Metropolitan Assembly as a city parliament

Current system:

Members of the Metropolitan Assembly:
District mayors
Directly elected mayor
List-based representatives

New system (from 2024):

Only list-based representatives in the Assembly 5% electoral threshold

Possible consequences:

Elected district mayors might not be in the Assembly
Less direct influence on city-wide regulations

Background:

Similar system existed before 2014
Change in 2014 to ensure government party majority
Current mayor, Gergely Karácsony, has majority with non-governing parties

Unbalanced relationship between Budapest and the government:

Lack of professional and economic dialogue
Despite Budapest’s significant population (1.67 million in 2023) and economic impact (50% of Hungarian GDP).

Importance of the mayoral position:

Requires the most direct votes of any elected position in the Hungarian electoral system, Karácsony received 353,000 votes in 2019

Candidates for mayor in 2024:

Gergely Karácsony (incumbent)
Dávid Vitézy
Alexandra Szentkirályi (government party candidate)

Karácsony’s program (“Budapest for Everyone”):

10 main pillars:

1. Green Budapest: Expanding green spaces, park development. Sustainable transportation development (bike lanes, pedestrian-friendly infrastructure). Air quality improvement (increasing green spaces, electric transportation). Waste management modernization.

2. Safe Budapest: Improving public safety (strengthening police, installing surveillance cameras). Crime prevention (preventive programs, expanding social services). Disaster protection reinforcement.

3. Healthy Budapest: Developing healthcare (modernizing hospitals, expanding general practitioner practices). Preventive programs (healthy eating, expanding sports opportunities). Expanding social services (supporting the elderly, sick, and needy).

4. Educated Budapest: Developing the education system (modernizing kindergartens, schools, raising teacher salaries).  Expanding cultural programs (supporting theaters, museums, libraries).
Talent development.

5. Solidary Budapest: Expanding social services (part-time programs, housing assistance). Ensuring equal opportunities (supporting disadvantaged groups). Roma integration.

6. Open Budapest: Strengthening civil dialogue. Increasing transparency. Fighting corruption.

7. Innovative Budapest: Developing digital infrastructure. Implementing smart city concept. Supporting startup ecosystem.

8. Economical Budapest:Supporting businesses. Job creation. Encouraging investment.

9. Child-friendly Budapest: Expanding family-friendly services. Expanding nursery places. Building playgrounds.

10. Livable Budapest:Developing public spaces. Expanding sports facilities. Expanding cultural programs.

Vitézy’s program (“Budapest Restarts”):

5 main pillars:

1. Transportation: Developing public transportation. Refurbishing existing lines, building new lines. Rationalizing the network, improving transfer connections. Procuring green vehicles (electric buses, trolleybuses). Optimizing car traffic: Expanding parking spaces. Traffic engineering improvements. Building bicycle paths.
2. Housing: Housing construction program: Building affordable housing. Expanding social housing. Encouraging brownfield development. Housing renovation program: Energy modernization of panel houses. Supporting the renovation of apartment buildings.
3. Economy: Encouraging investment: Tax breaks. Reducing bureaucracy. Developing industrial parks. Job creation: Supporting businesses. Developing vocational training.Expanding the startup ecosystem.
4. Green Budapest: Expanding green spaces, park development.  Sustainable transportation development. Air quality improvement.
5. Safe Budapest: Improving public safety: Strengthening police. Installing surveillance cameras. Crime prevention.

Szentkirályi Alexandra’s detailed election program is not yet available.

All candidates have experience with the Budapest government:

Gergely Karácsony has been mayor since 2019.
Dávid Vitézy is an expert in Budapest’s transportation system, having previously served as the director of the Budapest Transport Centre.
Alexandra Szentkirályi was the deputy mayor responsible for human affairs from 2014 to 2019.

The new mayor will face challenges:

The need for greater consultation with the newly elected assembly, which is likely to have more participants than the current one.
The capital’s unstable financial situation, which will determine the implementation of the program points included in the election promises.

The government: Grants a special status to the Budapest Metropolitan Municipality in the field of significant investment projects. The mayor is unable to represent the interests of the city in the case of these priority investments.