Fidesz's proposal would reduce the number of electoral districts in Budapest from 18 to 16, a statement from Karacsony's office said on Tuesday.

"What's more, they want to shove this down the throats of lawmakers with a sneaky committee amendment, without even allowing a regular parliamentary debate," Karacsony said. "This is their way of taking revenge on the capital for [the majority of the electorate] voting against the government last time. If they keep this up, an even larger share of the electorate will vote against them next time."

Alexandra Szentkiralyi, the head of Fidesz's Budapest chapter, said Karacsony was "lying" about the proposed amendment, arguing that legislators had a duty to make changes to the electoral districts to reflect their changing populations.

In a Facebook post, Szentkiralyi insisted that because Karacsony is an "experienced sociologist and polltaker", he was "deliberately twisting the truth … rather than simply being uninformed".

"He falsely claims that the government is reducing the number of electoral districts in Budapest as punishment because Budapest residents didn't vote for Fidesz," Szentkiralyi said.

She said the capital's population had grown under the administration of former mayor Istvan Tarlos before shrinking by about 66,000 during Karacsony's first term between 2019 and 2024.

She added that this required decision-makers to reapportion the electoral districts accordingly, noting that under the law, they have to have similar populations.

Laszlo Sebian-Petrovszki, the party director of the opposition Democratic Coalition (DK), said after a meeting of parliament's judiciary committee that Fidesz KDNP submitted a 65-page proposal aiming to redraw electroral district lines in Budapest and a few counties. He called it "outrageous" that the proposal was submitted "without any consultation or professional groundwork".

He pointed to Budapest's 11th district as an example, which would be divided into four electoral districts.
 

Several points of the proposal would have practical disadvantages for the voters, Sebian-Petrovszki said. The ballots would be cast without envelopes, "which could lead to irregularities," he added.

Regarding the re-drawing of electoral maps in counties, Sebian-Petrovszki said the steep population decline in Somogy County could warrant measures. At the same time, "the proposal also features a complete revamp of Fejer and Csongrad-Csanad counties," he said.

Meanwhile, Orban: Natl Consultation 'first step to 2026 election win'

The National Consultation survey is the first step to winning the general election in 2026, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said at a town hall meeting in Paty, near Budapest.

"If we lose, we lose everything: family protection, defence against migration, economic neutrality and the utility price caps will be finished," Orban said.

Hungary's government had fought to stay out of the war and to protect the country from its economic fallout, he said.

"The economic policy the government believes in" can only work in conditions brought about by peace, he added.

Meanwhile, Orban said it was time for Hungary to embrace a policy of economic neutrality based on its own interests.

"Whether certain economic ties have a Western or Eastern character is secondary; the only important question is whether it's useful or not," he said. "We must trade with everyone in the world, we must cooperate with everyone from whom we can benefit," he said.

Source: 
MTI - The Hungarian News Agency, founded in 1881.

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