Local by-elections in Budapest
April 26th, 2017A liberal commentator interprets the results of two district by-elections held in Budapest as proof that Fidesz is losing support and that Jobbik is becoming insignificant in the capital.
The results of the by-elections held in two districts on Sunday confirmed those of the regular elections in 2014. The Left held onto its seat in the 14th district council, while Fidesz was confirmed as the winner in the 8th district. Turnout was low in both cases (25 and 17 per cent respectively)
In his analysis on Index, Szabolcs Dull believes however that the details show significant trends in voters’ affiliations. In the 14th district, the left-wing candidate scored a sweeping victory with 50 per cent of the ballots, while Fidesz support shrank from 34 to 25 per cent. Jobbik did not run for the seat, while in 2014 its candidate scored 9 per cent. In the 8th district, Fidesz sank slightly from 52 to 46 per cent and the two left-wing candidates combined scored just a bit higher. Jobbik got just under 6 per cent, down from 11 in 2014. Dull admits that these results cannot be seriously extrapolated, but believes that they reflect a tangible weakening of the governing party, with Fidesz losing one third of its voters. The left appears to have attracted the vote of most of the discontented, he adds, while Jobbik suffered ‘a brutal setback’ in the capital.