Szentkirályi wrote that she hopes every member of the Budapest Assembly shares this objective and will put the interests of residents ahead of short-term political considerations.
She added that achieving this requires clear and honest communication. “If insolvency is indeed looming from early next year, then we must state it openly and ask for help,” she said, urging the city leadership not to “play games with Budapest residents” or create tension among municipal employees.
According to Szentkirályi, Mayor Gergely Karácsony’s proposal for Monday’s extraordinary assembly meeting serves primarily to stir political sentiment rather than solve real problems. For this reason, she said, the Fidesz-KDNP group has submitted an amendment that they believe focuses solely on the interests of Budapest residents.
She stressed the need for a “clean, transparent situation” as the starting point for any genuine solution. At the same time, she noted that the issue of the capital’s finances cannot be ignored, including what happened to the city’s former 214-billion-forint reserve and why new expenditures were introduced that “seem difficult to justify” in a near-bankruptcy situation. Addressing these questions, she said, is not about seeking conflict but about ensuring sustainable and predictable financial management in the future.
“Our shared goal is a functioning, stable Budapest. This requires responsible decisions from the mayor, not attempts to preserve a political image,” Szentkirályi wrote.