Listen to the audio version of this article (generated by AI).
Listen to the audio version of this article (generated by AI).
City councillors voted down a proposal for Tutto to serve as deputy mayor with a social mandate until June 30, with 8 votes in favour and 11 against.
The city assembly’s failure to elect a deputy mayor will now pave the way for Budapest’s government commissioner to submit a request to the courts for the authority to appoint a deputy mayor himself. In a binding ruling issued earlier this month, the Metropolitan Court of Appeals said that with the Budapest metropolitan assembly failing to elect at least one deputy mayor from among its members, the city council had failed to fulfill its statutory obligation to pass decisions.
In his proposal, Karácsony said that though the will of the voters expressed in last year’s local elections and the general practice of running the city’s affairs would warrant the election of multiple deputy mayors, he was proposing — based on the past year — that the city assembly elect a deputy mayor from within to ensure the city council’s lawful operation.
He said the assembly could either back “an interim, minimalist and economical solution” that seeks to ensure the lawful operation of the city council, or authorise the capital’s government commissioner to appoint the deputy mayor.
Karácsony noted that last year he had put forward a different proposal which the assembly had taken off the agenda. Now, he added, he had nominated Tüttő, whom he praised for her role as deputy mayor in his previous administration.
Alexandra Szentkirályi, the Fidesz-Christian Democrat group leader, said her group would not participate in the vote.
After the announcement of the outcome of the secret ballot, Karácsony said on Facebook: “There is a moral winner, but still no deputy mayor.”
“I fulfilled my legal obligation and made an attempt at letting common sense prevail over the battle of egos,” he said. “But once again, those who arrived in the city assembly with the promise of scaling back party politics resorted to name-calling and throwing labels around.”
He said his next such attempt would come after next year’s general election.
Producing journalism that is worthy of the name is a costly business. For over 30 years, the publishers, editors and reporters of the Budapest Business Journal have striven to bring you business news that works, information that you can trust, that is factual, accurate and presented without fear or favor.Newspaper organizations across the globe have struggled to find a business model that allows them to continue to excel, without compromising their ability to perform. Most recently, some have experimented with the idea of involving their most important stakeholders, their readers.
We would like to offer that same opportunity to our readers. We would like to invite you to help us deliver the quality business journalism you require. Hit our Support the BBJ button and you can choose the how much and how often you send us your contributions.
