gabor demszky

March 03, 2010, 09:33 CET

Parties to hold campaign rallies in Budapest on March 15 national holiday

All major parties in Hungary will hold a campaign rally on the afternoon of the national holiday of March 15 in the centre of Budapest, the organisers told MTI on Tuesday. March 15 marks the commemoration of Hungary's 1848 anti-Habsburg... [read complete entry]

February 23, 2010, 10:13 CET

President Sólyom, opposition's Orbán lead poll

President Laszlo Solyom was given 47 points out of a maximum of 100 by respondents in a popularity survey by pollster Szonda Ipsos published in Tuesday's Nepszabadsag daily. Viktor Orban, head of the main opposition Fidesz, garnered 44 points -... [read complete entry]

February 15, 2010, 10:35 CET

Budapest mayor not to resign over BKV scandal

Mayor of Budapest Gabor Demszky said on Sunday he would not resign over the scandals surrounding Budapest transport company BKV. "I will take political responsibility but will not please my opponents by stepping down," Demszky told an evening programme of... [read complete entry]

February 12, 2010, 09:36 CET

Fidesz calls on Budapest mayor to resign over transport company scandal

Hungary's main opposition Fidesz on Thursday said Budapest Mayor Gabor Demszky should resign over scandals at Budapest transport company BKV. Istvan Gyorgy, head of the municipal committee investigating fraud allegations at BKV, insisted that large companies owned by the local... [read complete entry]

February 03, 2010, 09:37 CET

All MPs hand in assets statements on time

All of Hungary's MPs handed in their assets statement by the 8 p.m. deadline on Monday. Socialist Party chairwoman Ildikó Lendvai has a 104m² flat in downtown Budapest and savings of $1,600. She earns a monthly salary of nearly Ft... [read complete entry]

November 18, 2009, 09:14 CET

Famous footballer rejects award from Budapest mayor, protests leftist bias

Budapest Mayor Gábor Demszky yesterday bestowed honorary citizenship on ten people at City Hall. Gyula Grosics, goalkeeper of the legendary Hungarian football side of the 1950s, recently refused the award, as he felt he was the only person on the... [read complete entry]

November 11, 2009, 09:45 CET

Retkes proposes Bokros as joint MSZP-SZDSZ-MDF candidate for PM

Former finance minister Lajos Bokros should run as the joint candidate for prime minister of the Socialists, the Free Democrats and the Democratic Forum at next year's parliamentary elections, Free Democrat chairman Attila Retkes suggested. In an interview published on... [read complete entry]

October 15, 2009, 09:53 CET

Fidesz moves to force early municipal elections in Budapest

Fidesz submitted a bill to Parliament on Wednesday to have the Budapest city council dissolved to allow early local elections. The bill submitted by Debrecen mayor Lajos Kósa, party spokesman Péter Szíjjártó and Christian Democrat chairman Zsolt Semjén proposes that... [read complete entry]

October 14, 2009, 09:59 CET

Budapest Socialists sever coalition with Liberals over business deals

The Socialist Party decided on Tuesday to dissolve the coalition on Budapest city council with the Free Democrats and recall its deputy mayors, after the liberals voted against a Socialist proposal to publish online all contracts worth over Ft 5... [read complete entry]

September 14, 2009, 09:42 CET

Orbán denounces draft 2010 budget; warns of "collapse" of state services

Fidesz chairman Viktor Orbán on Friday urged the cabinet to withdraw the draft 2010 budget and not stand in the way of change as he addressed a Fidesz rally to launch the autumn political season. Speaking at Budapest's Millenáris Park,... [read complete entry]

July 16, 2009, 10:04 CET

Former SZDSZ chairman says party's end is near

"The history of the Free Democrats will come to its end in the near future," former chairman Iván Pető told alternative weekly Magyar Narancs in an interview. "The way Gábor Fodor became chairman, using accusations of election fraud, his way... [read complete entry]

July 09, 2009, 10:37 CET

Majority in poll disapprove of Budapest's direction, mayor

Some 55% of Budapest residents consider mayor Gábor Demszky unfit for his position or only partly competent, while 40% say he is the right man for the job, according to an opinion poll conducted by the Progresszív and Publicus institutes.... [read complete entry]

July 02, 2009, 10:11 CET

Gusztos withdraws from Liberal leadership race

Free Democrat deputy caucus leader Péter Gusztos announced in his blog on Wednesday that he will not run for the position of party chairman, nor any other party posts. He wrote that "the Free Democrats cannot face up to their... [read complete entry]

March 04, 2009, 09:53 CET

Budapest mayor says domestic politics fueling extremism abroad

Hungarian domestic political conflicts present a danger to the stability of ethnic Hungarian communities in neighbouring countries if they seep beyond the borders, Budapest's mayor said, commenting on an assault he experienced in Oradea, W Romania, last Friday.... [read complete entry]

February 23, 2009, 10:31 CET

Budapest Mayor accosted in Bratislava, accused of being "traitor"

A man threw an egg at Budapest mayor Gábor Demszky in the function hall of the Culture Institute of the Republic of Hungary in Bratislava on Friday.... [read complete entry]

February 09, 2009, 12:05 CET

Liberals announce list of candidates for EP elections

Hungary's small opposition liberal party has selected its candidates to field in the European Parliamentary election, leader of the Free Democrats (SZDSZ) Gabor Fodor said on Saturday.... [read complete entry]

December 15, 2008, 07:38 CET

Demszky says leadership fight threatens existence of SZDSZ

Budapest Mayor Gabor Demszky called on liberal Free Democrat party leader Gabor Fodor and the party's parliamentary group leader Janos Koka to stop fighting over the post of group leader, saying that it imperiled the party's very existence, daily Nepszabadsag... [read complete entry]

November 25, 2008, 05:32 CET

Budapest mayor warns economic woes may lead to scapegoating of Roma

Hungary's Roma could be vulnerable to being seen as scapegoats in poorer regions amidst the current financial crisis, Mayor Budapest Gabor Demszky said at a conference on Tuesday.... [read complete entry]

November 17, 2008, 10:31 CET

Free Democrats mark 20 years in politics; key figures skip celebration

Hungary is in trouble, there is a greater need than ever for the Free Democrats, party chairman Gábor Fodor told a ceremony marking the 20th anniversary of the founding of the party in Újpest’s WAX gallery on Saturday.... [read complete entry]

September 18, 2008, 08:28 CET

Large political demonstrations expected for Saturday in Budapest

Saturday will see large demonstrations by the left and right in various points of Budapest. The Hungarian Democratic Charta, formed at the initiative of Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány, will stage its first rally at 3 p.m. at Clark Ádám tér,... [read complete entry]

September 17, 2008, 03:16 CET

Demszky donates egg-stained coat to museum, likely to get more egg on face

Widely-loathed Budapest Mayor Gábor Demszky has donated some clothing damaged when he was pelted with eggs by demonstrators during his March 15 public speech, to the Budapest History Museum, write tabloid borsonline.hu. According to the Mayor's Office, the museum asked... [read complete entry]

August 29, 2008, 10:34 CET

Sweet deal alleged for Demszky's "drinking buddy"

Right-wing daily Magyar Hírlap is charging that the Budapest municipal government has unfairly favored a crony of mayor Gábor Demszky, in providing subsides and other goodies for a local wine festival. According to the paper, the Budapest local government supported... [read complete entry]

July 23, 2008, 04:53 CET

Budapest district mayor joins defense of nationalist monument

Pokorni writes open letter to Budapest mayor Gábor Demszky pointing to "witch hunt" as far-right groups plan Thursday action to protect Turul from removal. [read complete entry]

July 07, 2008, 12:56 CET

Politicians condemn Saturday's disturbances to the Gay Pride March

The prime minister talks of starting a Magyar Charta in opposition to extremism as the parties weigh in over Saturday's disturbances. [read complete entry]

July 04, 2008, 11:12 CET

Budapest's biggest politicians in M0 "road rage" slugfest

The stalled progress of the M0 ring road in the northern part of Buda is not only consigning local and passing motorists to further months or years in traffic purgatory. It has also led to a classic game of... [read complete entry]

June 24, 2008, 12:05 CET

Budapest Mayor calls for Free Dem Faction Leader's removal

Mayor Demszky, a former Free Democrat chairman himself, has called for the removal of János Kóka as parliamentary faction leader if he is unwilling to resign himself. [read complete entry]

April 25, 2008, 09:42 CET

Budapest city council demands removal of nationalist statue

Mayor suspends session as right-wing demonstrators protest dismantling of "turul" monument [read complete entry]

April 17, 2008, 10:46 CET

Demszky and Gyurcsány clash over tax funds and BKV finances

The Budapest mayor and prime minister have gotten into a war of words over finding a solution for Budapest's perennially cash-strapped public transportation company. [read complete entry]

March 28, 2008, 11:56 CET

National furor erupts in Hungary over publication of alleged anti-Semitic essay

Resident polemicist for conservative daily Magyar Hírlap sparks controversy with opinion piece accused of containing anti-Semitic remarks not seen since the Second World War. [read complete entry]

March 26, 2008, 09:20 CET

SZDSZ Chairman Kóka convenes extraordinary convention ahead of new ballot

Free Democrat chairman János Kóka yesterday initiated a proposal that could lead to the restaging of last year’s election of senior party officials, the validity of which has recently been thrown into doubt amid allegations of electoral irregularities. Kóka recommended... [read complete entry]

March 17, 2008, 09:07 CET

Demszky pelted with eggs, stones during his March 15 speech

Protesters threw eggs and stones at mayor Gábor Demszky for the second consecutive year as he delivered his March 15 speech at the Petőfi statue downtown on Saturday afternoon. As last year, security personnel held umbrellas to shelter the mayor... [read complete entry]

February 28, 2008, 09:31 CET

Tarlós urges Demszky to pull BKV cuts

The Fidesz-Christian Democrat Budapest city council caucus leader István Tarlós yesterday urged mayor Gábor Demszky to withdraw the BKV plan to axe bus services and reduce metro, tram and suburban railway services. Tarlós said the plan is “a perfect example... [read complete entry]

February 27, 2008, 10:10 CET

Plans to cut BKV services in turmoil as project managers back out

In a move that smacks of passing the buck, Budapest's Socialist assistant mayor, Miklós Hagyó, handed over the management of public transport company BKV's deeply unpopular plans to cut services to Mayor Gábor Demszky's transport councillor, Gábor Dancs, on Monday,... [read complete entry]

February 14, 2008, 09:13 CET

Budapest mayor continues governmental crying wolf over fascist threat

Purim must be right around the corner again, as Budapest's mayor-for-life Gábor Demszky warned about the return of the Arrow Cross, Hungary's very own special homegrown fascists, a compiled report over at Index.hu stated. Speaking on the 63rd anniversary of... [read complete entry]

February 01, 2008, 09:46 CET

Budapest city council condemns Magyar Gárda

A resolution initiated by mayor Gábor Demszky condemning the right-wing group Magyar Gárda was approved by Budapest city council yesterday. Demszky said the recent demonstration carried out by the "paramilitary organisation against Roma crime" served to intimidate Roma in Budapest.... [read complete entry]

January 29, 2008, 10:40 CET

Dumszky name blunder underscores Metro 4 communications issues

You'd think the 30 years of ridicule attached to the money hungry holes in the ground soon to be known as Metro 4 would make Budapest mayor Gábor Demszky carefully consider his words during any embarrassing damage limitation press exercises.... [read complete entry]

January 18, 2008, 09:33 CET

District mayor asks Jobbik to cancel protest against "Gypsy crime"

Eighth District mayor József Csécsi on Thursday asked the far right Jobbik party to cancel its candlelight demonstration on Vas utca set for this evening. The demonstration - styled as a protest against "Gypsy crime" - is a response to... [read complete entry]

January 17, 2008, 10:59 CET

Citizen journalist snaps Mayor Demszky committing multiple traffic offenses

Budapest Mayor Gábor Demszky was pictured breaching parking and traffic rules by a sharp-eyed resident during the weekend and is liable to pay a fine of up to Ft 30,000 (€120). The velvet.hu reader took a series of photographs of... [read complete entry]

January 16, 2008, 11:00 CET

Poll: Hungarians wouldn't lend money to Gyurcsány - or Győzike

Hungarians think Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány is no more likely to repay a loan than Roma showman and tabloid clown Győző Gáspár, according to a recent study conducted by market information company TNS Hungary. Conductors of the study, which was... [read complete entry]

November 21, 2007, 11:28 CET

Journalists protest weekend police action in Budapest

Nearly 100 journalists, photographers, cameramen and their supporters staged a demonstration at the Batthyány Eternal Flame in Budapest's Fifth District on Tuesday evening to protest the arrest and detention of two journalists when police dissolved a peaceful demonstration on... [read complete entry]

November 20, 2007, 10:38 CET

The undertaker is placing the final nail in the Free Democrats' coffin

At a record low in public opinion polls, the Free Democrats (SZDSZ) currently only receive the support of 1% of the population. Unless they find a way to endear themselves to the voting public, the Free Democrats will become a party of the past. [read complete entry]

November 16, 2007, 11:15 CET

Proposed BKV tariff increases become political

Back and forth over proposed BKV price increases involves politicans, as opposition suspects backroom deals may be underfoot. [read complete entry]

November 12, 2007, 12:47 CET

Tensions mount within SZDSZ

Serious internal tensions are rocking Hungary's junior governing party, the liberal SZDSZ, an unidentified member charges [read complete entry]