After attending talks initiated by Mayor Gergely Karácsony, Alexandra Szentkirályi, the leader of the Fidesz-Christian democrat group in the Budapest municipality, has called for a review of all Budapest spending since 2019.
Szentkirályi told a press conference after the talks that she had received no answer as to how City Hall's coffers were now lacking the 214 billion forints (EUR 530.9m) by which she said the authority was in the black when Karácsony took over the mayoralty in 2019. She said she had also not received an answer as to "why the city bought real estate for 50 billion and committed to the Rakosrendezo project if it is close to insolvency".
Regarding the city's public transport company BKK, Szentkirályi said suspicion was growing that the "irresponsible management of the municipality may be rooted in unknown factors."
"Karácsony and the Tisza coalition, which gives the city leadership, owes all Budapest citizens answers," she said.
Szentkirályi noted that while the Fidesz-KDNP group attended the talks, Tisza stayed away. "[Tisza leader] Peter Magyar is extremely cowardly, and is trying to stay away from the responsibility of leading the city," she insisted.
Commenting on Karácsony's announcement that public transport will cease in the city for a short interval on Friday "as a first warning to the government", Szentkirályi said such a move was "unacceptable". Karácsony must not take revenge on Budapest citizens, she said.