In Újpest and Erzsébetváros, the name of the withdrawn candidate was drawn out with an almost invisible thinness, and there are reports that 0.3 and 0.5 mm needle-thick pens were bought specifically for this purpose.
Dávid Vitézy wrote on his Facebook page after the recount of the votes in Budapest.
"I thank the National Electoral Office for its work during today's recount.
I congratulate Mayor Gergely Karácsony on the results of the recount. In the end, the result was practically a draw, the difference is 0.005%, 41 votes in all of Budapest. But as I have been saying since the beginning of the week, even a one-vote advantage is decisive, and so after the recount, the 41-vote advantage is finally with the incumbent mayor.
The recount I initiated was thorough and justified, as today's results prove. Many hundreds, in total, more valid votes were mixed in with the invalid ones than the difference between the first and second place. This shows a very serious vote counting problem. This may even justify a recount of valid votes that have not yet been recounted, because the difference between us is now only 41 votes.
In order for the election result to be legally binding, two more legal remedy procedures must be completed.
On the one hand, Mayor Gergely Karácsony said that even if he wins the recount, he wants new elections in all of Budapest. Of course, I will face this from my side, if the competent bodies make a decision on this. In the light of the NVB's decision, it is important to point out that the hysteria and hysteria that Gergely Karácsony practiced in the last two days was completely irresponsible and immoral. He smeared and lied, accused public officials of crimes, insulted my constituents, just because he thought he was going to lose. I didn't join him in that, and I won't now. Karácsony made this desperate cut for one goal: his own political survival. Because it seems that if he could no longer use the City Hall as a springboard, he is now trying it as a lifeboat for the DK and the MSZP.
The other legal remedy procedure affects two DK-led districts, Újpest and Erzsébetváros. In these districts, the name of the withdrawn candidate was drawn with an almost invisible thinness,
in a row, there are reports that pens with a needle thickness of 0.3 and 0.5 mm were bought specifically for this purpose in order to deceive the voters.
In connection with this, since the beginning of the week, a legal remedy procedure has been underway on my part. As I said at my press conference on Tuesday, it is difficult to see any intentionality behind the way these two districts handled the removal of the withdrawn candidate from the ballots, and as a result, twice as many invalid votes were cast here as in the other districts of Budapest. This legal remedy has been going on since the beginning of this week, it is in the appeal stage, it is being discussed by the National Election Commission today, and maybe later by the Curia as well.
Worth noting:
if this DK action, bordering on trickery, abuse of rights and fraud, did not happen, many thousands of invalid votes could have been avoided in these two districts, and the result would probably be far from what we know now . Ferenc Gyurcsány's party should clearly assume political responsibility in this case, and Gergely Karácsony should make it clear whether he knew about the abuses that took place on his behalf.
At the same time, the election process must end despite all such malpractices. The people of Budapest need calm after the intensified election campaign. As in the previous months, I will also strive to make Budapest a more livable and greener city. For my part, I will do everything for that.
Whatever the outcome of the ongoing legal remedies, as I have said so far, I accept the final result of the election. If, despite Gergely Karácsony's appeal announced yesterday, there will not be a new election, and in the end, despite his promise made yesterday, he does not end up creating this election situation in October with his resignation, then in the Capital Assembly, I will look for the possibility of cooperation with everyone who, along the lines of my program, for the development of Budapest, with maximum constructiveness will be a partner in this.”
Featured image: MTI/Zsolt Szigetváry
