Budapest Mayor celebrating 9% participation in online voting

"The largest participatory vote in Budapest's history, the first Budapest Residents' Assembly, has been successfully concluded. 136,435 Budapest residents cast their votes online, more than 9 % of all eligible voters. This result imposes a clear obligation on all decision-makers, on me and on others" – wrote Mayor Gergely Karácsony on his Facebook page.

He said that the survey "differs in substance from the government's national consultation, because that is about misleading people, and this is about asking the people of Budapest". The detailed results and the resulting decisions will be published on Tuesday.

The Budapest Residents' Assembly included a vote on whether or not to allow cars back on the Chain Bridge.

A code sent by post was used to vote, but the delivery of these letters was delayed in several districts. The deadline was pushed back because of delays in postal delivery, but the mayor cited the high level of interest as the reason for it. Voting in person was only possible at the Mayor's Office's customer service desk.

According to a recent opinion poll, 58% of Budapest residents support the idea of a car-free Chain Bridge. Specifically, that only buses, taxis and cyclists should be allowed to use the bridge. However, a two-thirds majority (66%) of government supporters still support car-free transport.