Budapest Mayor Wins, Foiling Orban’s Effort to Seize Capital

  • Karacsony’s razor-thin lead widens after court-ordered recount
  • Orban’s last-minute move to back third-party candidate fails
Gergely KaracsonyPhotographer: Attila Kisbenedek/AFP/Getty Images
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Budapest’s liberal mayor secured a second term in office after a court-mandated recount confirmed his victory over a rival endorsed by Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

The lead for Gergely Karacsony, who has led the Hungarian capital since 2019, grew from a razor-thin 41 votes to 293 after the recount, with more than 700,000 votes cast, the country’s election board said. His opponent was David Vitezy, a transportation expert who has served in Orban’s government.