The opposition Socialist party has a chance of beating the ruling Fidesz party only in a handful of towns and Istvan Tarlos, Fidesz’s candidate to head the city of Budapest, is almost a shoo-in, though it is not certain that the Fidesz-Christian Democratic alliance will command a majority in the municipal assembly, political analysts told MTI on Wednesday.
Political scientist Attila Juhasz, head of think-tank Political Capital, said that polls indicate that the local election results on October 3 will largely reflect the outcome of the April general election, when the Fidesz-led alliance swept into power and secured a two-thirds parliamentary majority.
Miklos Szanto, an analyst with Nezopont Institute said that the popularity of the Fidesz-Christian alliance “is so incontestable and so evenly spread throughout the country [that] in the decisive majority of cases it will outclass its own local position”.
Tarlos’s victory is assured, the analysts said, but it is not so certain that the ruling parties will be able to secure an outright majority in the assembly in what is traditionally a left-liberal leaning city.
