He explained that he does not want to take part in the party’s “self-eradication process”, so did not renew his membership in the liberal party’s last member review.

Demszky said he invited Prime Minister Viktor Orbán for talks in May, but that his spokesman Péter Szijjártó had declined the offer with “an arrogant answer”.

The capital’s mayor was a founding member of the Free Initiatives Network in 1988, and later of the Free Democrats, which he led from December, 2000 to June 2001. He has run Budapest for 20 years but will not stand in the autumn local elections.

Demszky said he expects to receive the Dalai Lama in Budapest in September and will recommend him for the title of honorary citizen of the city."

Source: Hungary Around the Clock.

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