Dávid Vitézy runs for Mayor of Budapest

Analysts ponder the impact of the public transport expert entering the mayoral election in June.

On Tuesday, Dávid Vitézy (38) who ran the Budapest public transport company under Fidesz Mayor István Tarlós until 2014 and later served briefly as State Secretary for transport in PM Orbán’s government, accepted the LMP’s nomination for Budapest Mayor. Incumbent Mayor Gergely Karácsony characterised him as a Fidesz nominee and predicted that Alexandra Szentkirályi, the official Fidesz candidate will ultimately withdraw from the race in Vitézy’s favour.

On Telex, analyst Zsolt Nagy believes Karácsony would easily win the election against Ms Szentkirályi alone, while a tripartite race will make his job extremely complicated. The incumbent Mayor, he explains will have to wage a political campaign against Szentkirályi, while trying to prove his prowess over technical matters against Vitézy.

On Index, pro-government political scientist Ágoston Sámuel Mráz dismisses Karácsony’s opinion that Szentkirályi will be withdrawn to let Vitézy win the election. In a one-on-one race, he argues, Karácsony would be the probable winner, while a tripartite one might perhaps yield a surprising outcome.

Tags: Karácsony, mayoral election, Szentkirályi, Vitézy