The performance of the capital’s local government over the past two and a half years is determined by the personnel policy. After the local government election in October 2019, it turns out that Gergely Karácsony, the winner of the mayor’s competition, will be controlled by Ferenc Gyurcsány and his circle, as without them a non-voting majority can be secured in the general meeting. The mayor himself is attached to the former head of government, as until 2008 he worked as an adviser to the Prime Minister’s Office. It didn’t even take long, after the election victory, appointments to municipal positions began and a number of prominent government presidents were in line.

One of Gyurcsány’s confidants, his former state secretary, Zoltán J. Gál, was given the position of chief consultant next to Christmas, and then last autumn, Budapest Főváros Vagyonkezelő Központ Zrt. Was implanted. (BFVK). In addition to writing the mayor’s speeches and Facebook posts, J. Gál oversees the work of Gergely Karácsony.

Also the old confidant of Ferenc Gyurcsány is Tibor Draskovics, who was appointed Chairman of the Board of the Budapest Transport Center (BKK) in 2019. The government of Gyurcsány was the Minister of Finance, Finance and Law Enforcement, and the latter remained in office during the justice of Gordon Bajnai.

Extended arm

Until now, Erzsébet Gy. Németh, one of the vice-presidents of DK, served as an extended arm of Ferenc Gyurcsány at the City Hall. He won a parliamentary seat in the elections on April 3, so he will leave the City Hall, followed by Anett Bősz, who has also politicized in the Gyurcsány party faction in recent years, and is the president of the Hungarian Liberal Party.

Between 2002 and 2010, Erzsébet Gy. Németh was a Member of Parliament for the MSZP and was constantly active in politics in the capital. The extent to which he had been under the direct control of Ferenc Gyurcsány as deputy mayor since 2019 was not hidden even by the opposition media, and even 444.hu described him as “ .

This also means that it has less autonomy in debates on politically sensitive issues. It has been said several times that I have to ask the President about this. ”

Old, reliable left-wing cadre

Deputy Mayor Kiss Ambrus is also an old trusted left-wing cadre; From 2002 he worked in the Ministry of Employment and Labor, and from March 2003 he was a Ministerial Adviser in the Office of the Prime Minister. Later, from July 2006 to July 2007, he became the chief of staff of Péter Kiss, who inherited the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor. After that, until April 2009 he was the Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister’s Office – also Péter Kis – and from April 2009 he worked in the Chancellery under the government of Gordon Bajnai, under the later Minister of Social Affairs of Csaba Molnár.

Csaba Tordai, who started his career as the chief of staff of Gábor Demszky, also plays an important role at the Town Hall. Already in December 2019, the local government signed a contract with the former SZDSZ lawyer, with a monthly commission fee of HUF 750,000, to assist Gergely Karácsony with his legal advice.

Tordai is the chairman of the board of Budapest Főváros Vagyonkezelő Központ Zrt. During the Gyurcsány-Bajnai governments, the lawyer was Secretary of State first in the Ministry of Justice and then in the Prime Minister’s Office, which is already a position of trust. After the change of government, the Homeland and Progress Public Policy Foundation was established together with Gordon Bajnai, which secured the hinterland of the Party of Change Agents for the next election.

István Kolber, who was the Minister without Portfolio of the Gyurcsány Government responsible for regional development and catching up, became a member of the Board of Directors of Budapest Főváros Vagyonkezelő Központ Zrt.

Tamás Katona, who holds the position of Chairman of the Supervisory Board of BKV, was also the Chairman of the CSO as the former Prime Minister of Gyula Horn, and became the Chief of Staff of Péter Medgyessy. He later held the position of Secretary of State in the Ministry of Finance of the Gyurcsány and Bajnai Governments.

Former bodyguard in a position of trust

Norbert Élő, one of the strong men of Gyurcsány, is the head of the Supervisory Board of Budapest City Management Holding (BVH). Tamás Handl, a former tester of the President of DK, has also taken up a position of trust, he heads the Metropolitan Municipal Police Directorate. Zoltán Szabó, who is now politicizing in the colors of the SE, is a member of the Supervisory Board of the Budapest Sewerage Works.

István Vágó, a former quiz master who strengthened the Gyurcsány party, also found his place: he became a member of the supervisory board of BKV Vasúti Járműjavító Kft.

Photo: Árpád Kurucz