There will be no repeat mayoral elections in Budapest, the Curia has ruled

The Curia has upheld the decision of the National Election Committee, (Nemzeti Választási Bizottság – NVB) according to which I will continue to be the Mayor of Budapest for the next five years. Naturally, I accept the decision of the independent Hungarian court – Gergely Karácsony wrote on his Facebook page. The Curia also rejected Dávid Vitézy's appeal.

Gergely Karácsony filed his request for the annulment of the results of the election for mayor and for the vote to be repeated in the whole city on 17 June, following the recount of the invalid votes for mayor. He lodged his application despite the fact that the NVB, after recounting the invalid votes, had found that he had won the election for mayor of Budapest by 41 votes.

Karácsony now writes that "they tried to steal the mayoral election too – but they didn't succeed". According to him, Fidesz and the government wanted to confuse the voters, which was done in several steps. He said that part of this was that the EP and municipal elections were held on the same day, that the rules for electing the municipal assembly in Budapest were changed in the last minute, all the while making sure that "even the smallest details were to the advantage of Dávid Vitézy, the former state secretary of the Orbán government".

According to Karácsony, the only task Alexandra Szentkirályi "the official Fidesz candidate had was to validate the actual Fidesz candidate in front of opposition voters, and to withdraw in his favour at the last possible moment". He added: "Szentkirályi's last-minute withdrawal from the race revealed the truth, but there was little time to get it across to all voters. But even so, they still failed to win". He also described the recount of the invalid votes as an effort of Fidesz. Karácsony said that no legal condition for ordering this had been fulfilled. He called the NVB's recount chaotic. "I am not accusing anyone of deliberate electoral fraud, but it is definitely strange that in the districts controlled by Fidesz mayors, nearly two and a half times (!) as many new Vitézy votes were found in proportion to the invalid votes as in the districts where the mayors are from the opposition," he wrote. He stated:

The final decision of the Curia has put an end to this dispute. Of course I will not resign as mayor, let those who tried to mislead the people of Budapest and who were unable to conduct a fair recount resign.

He thanked all those who voted for him, saying that this was "an encouragement to continue to build a green, solidary and free Budapest". He also thanked those who did not vote for him, because it encouraged him and his team to work harder.