Mayor Stopping Budapest Public Transport 'May Constitute Crime' Claims Gov't Official
- 9 Jun 2025 10:00 AM
Budapest Mayor Gergely Karacsony's plan "not only penalises and blackmails Budapest citizens, it is also unlawful, and there is a good chance it constitutes a crime,' the parliamentary state secretary of the ministry for public administration and regional development said on social media on Friday, 6 June.
Karacsony announced on Thursday that Budapest public transport will pause for 10 minutes on midday Friday as "a warning for the government".
Csaba Latorcai said Karacsony could not stop public transport in Budapest "because that would cause disturbances to public operations and instigate abuse of power".
Latorcai said the city assembly, not the mayor, had ownership over public transport company BKV and it may constitute a crime if he paralysed its services.
"Karacsony wants to blackmail the government by forcing traffic to a halt. But what he'll really do is upend the lives of Budapest citizens. Enough of the political games! The Karacsony-Tisza coalition should keep the interests of the capital in mind, not their own power," he said. Budapest needs responsibility and transparency to operate, he added.
Latorcai said Karacsony had been threatening to "stop [public] transport for weeks. There would be no busses, trams or metro, just so he can muddy the waters around his responsibility in [the capital's] financial ruin and so he can hang on to his post."
"This is not a solution; this is blackmailing Budapest citizens. They should not be the ones to pay for the failures of the city leadership. Budapest deserves more! It is time they worked for it and not against it," he said.
Source: MTI – Hungary’s national news agency since 1881. While MTI articles are usually factual, some may contain political bias, and readers should be aware that such content does not reflect the position of XpatLoop, which is neutral and independent.
Since the goal of XpatLoop is to keep readers well briefed, right across the spectrum of opinions, MTI items are shared to ensure readers are aware of all narratives within the local media.
XpatLoop believes in empowering readers to form their own views through complete and comprehensive coverage. To facilitate this XpatLoop has a balanced range of news partners, as you can see when you surf around XpatLoop.com
*********************************
You're very welcome to comment, discuss and enjoy more stories via our Facebook page:
Facebook.com/XpatLoopNews + via XpatLoop’s groups: Budapest Expats / Expats Hungary
You can subscribe to our newsletter here: XpatLoop.com/Newsletters
As an independent portal we’re grateful to all commercial supporters who help keep you in the loop with fresh insights and inspiration. Do you want your business to reach tens of thousands of potential high-value expat customers? If so please contact us here.
Related links
LATEST NEWS IN shopping