2024 Budapest mayoral election

The 2024 Budapest mayoral election was held on 9 June 2024 to elect the mayor of Budapest (főpolgármester). However, the elected mayor will only take office in October. On the same day, local elections were held throughout Hungary, including the districts of Budapest which will determine the composition of the General Assembly. The election is run using a first-past-the-post voting system. The winner of the election will serve for a term of five years.

As the two top-placed candidates, Dávid Vitézy and Gergely Karácsony were only separated by 324 votes, a partial recount took place, due to the abnormally large numbers of invalid ballots. On 12 June, Vitézy filed for appeal, and the National Electoral Office decided on recounting all of the invalid votes across the city on 14 June. After the recount, Karácsony retained the mayorship by an advantage of only 41 votes, or 0.005% against Vitézy. However, Karácsony filed for appeal and is seeking a repeat of the election in the entire city. On 26 June the Curia rejected Karácsony's appeal for a repeat election, however the Constitutional Court annulled the Curia's decision, after which it ordered a city wide recount of all valid votes to be conducted between 9–11 July. The recount determined that Karácsony won by 293 votes.

Announced candidates

 * Gergely Karácsony, incumbent Mayor (2019–), supported by DK, MSZP, Dialogue and Momentum
 * Dávid Vitézy, former director of the Centre for Budapest Transport (2010–2014), former state secretary for transportation (2022), supported by LMP
 * András Grundtner, supported by Our Homeland Movement

Withdrawn candidates

 * Koloman Brenner, member of parliament (2018–), supported by Jobbik; withdrew on 19 April 2024, in favor of Dávid Vitézy.
 * Alexandra Szentkirályi, government spokesperson (2020–2024), former deputy mayor of Budapest (2014–2019), supported by Fidesz-KDNP; withdrew on 7 June 2024, in favor of Dávid Vitézy.

Gergely Karácsony (DK–MSZP–P)
Incumbent mayor Gergely Karácsony announced his intention to run for a second term on 20 March 2023. He became the joint candidate of the newly formed DK–MSZP–Dialogue Alliance for the position of mayor on 28 March 2024, also leading its General Assembly party list. The Momentum Movement endorsed Karácsony's mayoral candidacy too, but decided to run the election with a separate party list.

Karácsony called Budapest as "republic" and "island of freedom" during his campaign. He argued the people of Budapest will have an easy time with the election, because for the citizens of the capital, the government only has a declaration of war. The values on which against the government builds its policy denying them are present in Budapest, he added. Karácsony emphasized that, in addition to the COVID-19 pandemic and the global energy crisis, the Fidesz government took a lot of powers and financial resources away from Budapest in the last five years purely for political interests, which made the city budget unstable, therefore, the implementation of many projects was delayed or became impossible. During his campaign, Karácsony argued that the city's future is decided by whether they can provide affordable housing in the short and long term. In this regard, he wanted to rely on directly callable EU funds, bypassing the government's distributive role. Karácsony argued that he demonstrated his cooperation ability with the government with the fact that a common tariff system was established with the participation of Hungarian State Railways (MÁV), Volánbusz and Budapesti Közlekedési Zrt.. Under Karácsony, the BuBi bicycle sharing network was also re-organized and expanded. Karácsony established a housing agency which provides municipal housing for the homeless. The reconstruction of the Metro Line M3 was finished under his term, but the lack of accessibility and air-conditioning remained an unfulfilled campaign promise. The Széchenyi Chain Bridge and Blaha Lujza tér were also renovated.

Karácsony stated during the campaign that independent contender Dávid Vitézy was also a candidate of Fidesz beside the "official" candidate Szentkirályi. He predicted that one of them will withdraw sometime during the campaign. Both Vitézy and Szentkirályi denied the allegations. Despite the continuous denials, Szentkirályi actually withdrew on 7 June. Karácsony and the opposition parties supported him were talking about the "end of Orbán's play", arguing Vitézy was the real candidate of Fidesz, whose independence could confuse and divide anti-government voters. According to Karácsony, this was Fidesz's plan from the beginning, because the opposition parties are clearly in the majority in the capital. According to him, Vitézy would not be able to effectively oppose the ruling party if he were elected mayor with the help of Fidesz. According to him, the city is strong until its backbone is broken. "The mayorship of Dávid Vitézy would tell the world that Budapest was silenced and oppressed", he argued. Karácsony considered the people of Budapest can choose the people of power or the power of the people. He argued that Vitézy's sympathizers became victims of an "evil power struggle" and "there is only one Fidesz, the one whose goal is to preserve its power and preserve its economic interests". He added that Vitézy's ambitious visions can only be realized if the government provides financial support for this, and Vitézy is not aware of the real state of the capital's budget.

Dávid Vitézy (VDB–LMP)
Transport and urban mobility expert Dávid Vitézy announced his candidacy on 19 March 2024, as the candidate of his own civic organization Association with Dávid Vitézy for Budapest (VDB) and LMP – Hungary's Green Party. During his campaign, Vitézy presented himself as a technocrat outsider, who rejected both Fidesz government policy and the left-wing opposition, which administered Budapest. According to him, Budapest became a political battleground between the government and Karácsony since 2019, which resulted in the cessation of major investments and the halting of major developments. Karácsony used his position as a "national opposition" and "martyr", according to him, even in such headwinds by the government, more could have been achieved during the five years, but there is no continuous negotiation between the two parties.

Vitézy outlined the five biggest problems to be solved: housing and expensive sublets, continuous traffic jams from the outer districts and agglomeration, deterioration of health care, little green space and development always only reaches the inner, tourist-frequented districts. He campaigned to set up law enforcement on BKK lines against violent and homeless passengers, he would build 10,000 new service apartment and would banish party politicians from the boards of Budapest companies, where he would also introduce the one-third female quota. He presented his 101-point programme with the title "There is much more to this city!". Among others, Vitézy promised to build 5 new tram lines, to renovate and make accessibility of suburban junctions, renovation of BHÉV lines and complete replacement of vehicles, construction green parks along the banks of the Danube. On the same day, Jobbik candidate Koloman Brenner withdrew his candidacy and endorsed Vitézy. Vitézy took part in a harsh YouTube debate with Karácsony on 31 May 2024 (Partizán), where he confronted the mayor with the non-fulfillment of his previous specific promises. Vitézy argued Karácsony deals with party politics instead of the development of Budapest, and for him the city, which functioned as a "shadow government" under him, is only a tool for his political battles against Fidesz.

During the entire campaign, Vitézy's former affiliation to the ruling party Fidesz raised questions regarding his independent status. In addition, LMP leader Péter Ungár was also considered a part of the "systemic opposition" of Viktor Orbán's regime. The European Green Party formally suspended LMP's membership due to its support of Vitézy. While Gergely Karácsony was a subject of defamatory campaign in the government media, it remained silent regarding Vitézy's candidacy, whose campaign was completely ignored in their reports. Karácsony and the left-wing opposition parties accused Vitézy of actually being the "hidden" candidate of Fidesz, citing his former positions and family relations under the Orbán governments. Karácsony considered Fidesz "official" candidate Alexandra Szentkirályi will withdraw in favor of Vitézy sometime during the campaign. Both Vitézy and Szentkirályi refused the allegations. However, Szentkirályi indeed withdrew her candidacy and endorsed Vitézy on 7 June 2024, two days before the election. Pro-government media unanimously encouraged the election of Vitézy, but the support of the Fidesz–KDNP list in the simultaneous General Assembly election. Karácsony and the opposition parties supported him were talking about the "end of Orbán's play", arguing Vitézy was the real candidate of Fidesz, whose independence could confuse and divide anti-government voters. Vitézy refused these allegations, confirming that in the event of his victory, he will not form a coalition with either Fidesz or DK. According to his claim, the withdrawal was a unilateral decision by Fidesz, it was not preceded by any secret pact. He emphasized that those who support him as mayor also support the VDB–LMP list in the general assembly vote.

Alexandra Szentkirályi (Fidesz–KDNP)
On 14 March 2024, it was announced that Alexandra Szentkirályi, the party's spokesperson and former deputy mayor, will be the candidate of Fidesz for Mayor of Budapest in the 2014 election. During her activity, Szentkirályi ran an exclusively defamatory campaign against Karácsony, frequently called him as the "puppet" of former prime minister and opposition leader Ferenc Gyurcsány. Under the slogan "Budapest needs change", she tried to prove Karácsony's incompetence in numerous TikTok videos, but she did not publish her own program or vision. Fidesz leaders, including PM Viktor Orbán remained remarkably passive during her campaign, according to analysts, Fidesz priced the defeat in advance. Szentkirályi refused to attend debates against Karácsony and Vitézy, and, with the exception of pro-government media, she did not give any interviews to the media.

Karácsony claimed Fidesz's "official" candidate Szentkirályi will withdraw in favor of Vitézy sometime during the campaign. Both Vitézy and Szentkirályi denied the allegations throughout the campaign. However, Szentkirályi withdrew her candidacy on 7 June, two days before the election and endorsed Vitézy. Pro-government media unanimously encouraged the election of Vitézy as mayor, but the support of the Fidesz–KDNP list in the simultaneous General Assembly election.

András Grundtner (MHM)
The far-right Our Homeland Movement nominated jurist András Grundtner as their mayoral candidate on 2 September 2023. During his campaign, he spoke against the restriction of car traffic (for instance, at the Chain Bridge) and promised to ban Budapest Pride in case of victory.

Grundtner was not invited to the mayoral debate (31 May), but participated in the debate of party list leaders (2 June). There, Grundtner rejected both the narratives of the Orbán government and the city leadership. He argued, Budapest and Hungary are dependent on each other, but this is currently unworkable, "because Budapest has started to break away from the body of the nation". He argued that the current city administration must be on good terms with the government so that "the city can receive appropriate subsidies". He also drew attention to the fact that the proportion of the Hungarian population is decreasing because they are moving out of the agglomeration or abroad, while the immigration of foreigners (mainly from the Third World) has been continuous in recent years. He highlighted the lack of public safety ("no-go tram routes"). According to him, Airbnbs, the housing demand of higher education students and the construction of residential parks for investment purposes are the three factors that cause the continuous increase in real estate prices, and it is necessary to intervene as soon as possible.

Following the withdrawal of Szentkirályi (see above), Grundtner argued the Our Homeland "remains the only force that represents a way out for the nationally committed, tradition-loving population of the capital". He considered that both Karácsony and Vitézy belong to that "downtown progressive-liberal elitist club", which seeks to drown Budapest in a "multicultural swamp".

Aftermath
Shortly after midnight on June 10, while reporting was over 90% and he was leading by a couple dozen votes, Dávid Vitézy held a press conference in which he expressed his doubt on whether the official results will be known by the end of the night. He described the election as being very tight, and raised awareness on the possibility of a recount, whichever candidate ends up winning the election. Moreover, Vitézy expressed his disappointment on the fact that Karácsony systematically refused to answer his phone calls on election night, in which he would have asked his rival to agree to a mutual declaration on seeking a recount.

Around 3:00 am on June 10, Gergely Karácsony claimed victory in front of the City Hall and expressed his gratitude that Budapest chose to remain a "republic" instead of a "company" led by Fidesz. On the morning of 10 June, a voice recording was released by far-right media outlet Kuruc.info, which saw Karácsony make pre-election blackmail threats to Vitézy and expressed his will to "beat him with a shovel". The next day, in an interview with liberal media outlet Telex, Karácsony reacted to the voice recording, admitting that it originates from him, while saying that he considers it to be of very little importance.

On June 11, Vitézy revealed evidence of mismanagement of voting ballots. As Fidesz–KDNP candidate Alexandra Szentkirályi had withdrawn only two days prior to the election, the ballots were already printed out, and Szentkirályi's name had to be manually removed from each ballot. However, in certain districts, this removal failed to meet the legal requirements, as her name and party were only crossed out with a thin line, thus giving the impression that she is in fact still in the race for mayor. According to Dávid Merker, who ran in Vitézy's alliance, "thousands" of voting ballots, having a vote for Vitézy, (but also for the imperceptibly crossed-out Szentkirályi by mistake) were deemed as being invalid instead of a vote for Vitézy. According to Vitézy, this confusion by the electoral committees is the cause of the suspiciously large record numbers of invalid votes counted at this election. Moreover, the difference of votes between Karácsony and Vitézy, 324, is 76 times smaller than the number of invalid votes. Due to these suspicions, Vitézy’s team is seeking an official recount in districts where electoral fraud is suspected. The results are set to be certified on 13 June.

On June 12, Vitézy held a press conference about the mismanagement of ballots and the severe irregularities that were partly already revealed by his team the day before. Two districts, namely Újpest and Erzsébetváros, saw record high number of invalid votes; 5.02% and 6.08%, respectively, while this rate was only around 2-2.5% in other districts. Moreover, Vitézy presented the press with a map which showed that the number of invalid votes for Mayor, compared to the number of invalid votes for the City Assembly, was remarkably high in these two districts. Furthermore, these irregularities stopped in voting stations located just across the street, but in a different district of Budapest. Reasons that were brought forward included the intentional decision to use a thin line to cross out Szentkirályi’s name, and a wrong interpretation of the electoral law by the voting supervisors. Districts II. and XVI., where Szentkirályi’s name was rendered illegible by a big black overprint, had very small numbers of invalid votes, and no irregularities were reported in districts II., V., and XVI. In over 200 voting stations across all the other 20 districts, irregularities emerged, and were legally testified by voters, election committee members, or observers.

Thus, Vitézy submitted binding documents on June 12, at 15:30 pm to the Capital Electoral Office, to legally appeal the outcome, and asked for a full recount of all invalid votes all across Budapest. He added that this recount is in the interest of everyone, as the legitimacy of the Mayor would be challenged if suspicions of fraud remained. The Capital Electoral Office will have to transmit the documents to the National Electoral Office, which will then take a decision regarding the recount. In response, on June 13, Karácsony asked for a full repeat of the mayoral election, regardless who wins the recount.

On June 14 the National Electoral Office declared the results of the recount: Karácsony retained his victory, though his gain narrowed to just 41 votes. Nonetheless Karácsony declared he will appeal the decision to the Curia and ask for a new election due to perceived irregularities in the recount. Vitézy also filed an appeal, but only for DK-lead Districts IV. and VII. They submitted their motion to the Curia on 17 June, which rejected them on 26 June, upholding the validity of the recount. That day, Karácsony affirmed he would have gone through with a repeated election, but "the Curia's decision closed that debate".

Vitézy previously claimed Karácsony could also initiate a new election by resigning, which Karácsony rejected. After the Curia's decision, Vitézy argued Karácsony promised to take all legal means, and he still had the means to appeal to the Constitutional Court, saying he considers Karácsony a legitimate mayor, but "if we take Gergely Karácsony's previous words seriously, he does not consider himself to be one". On 30 June, Vitézy himself filed a complaint to the Constitutional Court, arguing the Curia's decision was unconstitutional.

On 5 July, the Constitutional Court annulled the Curia's decision, arguing it's unconstitutional, violating a right to a fair trial. While the Curia ignored the request to recount valid votes, the Constitutional Court argued: as many invalid votes were found valid upon recount, the reverse might also be the case. Though the election could no longer be repeated (the deadline for a repeat passed on 7 July), the Curia could order a recount of all valid votes in a new decision. Vitézy expressed support for a recount, while Karácsony called the court's reasoning "absurd", adding that Vitézy's allegiance to Fidesz was once again revealed.

On 7 July, the Curia ordered the recount of all valid votes. The National Electoral Office begun recount on 9 July, at 13:00. At the same time, a complaint was filed to Constitutional Court against the Curia's new decision, claiming the Curia itself should carry out the recount, not the Electoral Office.

The results of the recount were announced on 12 July. Karácsony retained his victory, increasing his lead to 293 votes. In total about 1500 votes changed their status, including 507 previously valid votes that were found invalid. Vitézy publicly conceded the election to Karácsony, and no further legal appeals were made. As the deadline for appeals also passed on 12 July, the results were finally settled.