Gergely Karácsony

Gergely Karácsony
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Name	Gergely Karácsony
Caption	Karácsony in 2021
Office	Mayor of Budapest
Term start	13 October 2019
Predecessor	István Tarlós
Office1	Member of the National Assembly
Term start1	14 May 2010
Term end1	5 May 2014
Constituency1	Budapest List
Party	Dialogue for Hungary (2013–present)
Otherparty	Politics Can Be Different (2009–2013)
Spouse	Márta V. Naszályi
Alma mater	Eötvös Loránd University, Corvinus University of Budapest
Birth date	11 November 1975
Birth place	Budapest, Hungary

Gergely Karácsony is a Hungarian politician and sociologist who has served as the Mayor of Budapest since 2019. A co-founder of the Dialogue for Hungary party, he previously served as a member of the National Assembly and as Mayor of the Zugló district of Budapest. His election as mayor ended a decade of control by Fidesz in the capital and positioned him as a prominent opposition figure to the government of Viktor Orbán.

Early life and education

Gergely Karácsony was born in Budapest in 1975. He completed his secondary education at the ELTE Radnóti Miklós Grammar School, a prestigious institution in the capital. He pursued higher education at Eötvös Loránd University, where he studied sociology and political science, later earning a PhD in political science from the Corvinus University of Budapest. His academic work focused on local government and civil society, themes that would deeply influence his later political career.

Political career

Karácsony's political involvement began with civil society organizations before he formally entered party politics. He was initially a member of the green party Politics Can Be Different (LMP). In 2010, he was elected to the National Assembly on the LMP national list. During his term, he served on committees including the Sustainable Development Committee and was known for his advocacy on environmental and transparency issues. In 2013, following internal disagreements within LMP, he co-founded the new party Dialogue for Hungary (Párbeszéd). He was elected Mayor of Zugló, Budapest's 14th district, in 2014, a position he held until 2019.

Mayor of Budapest

In the 2019 Budapest municipal election, Karácsony, running as a joint candidate for the united opposition against the ruling Fidesz party, defeated incumbent István Tarlós. His victory was part of a broader opposition sweep in major cities, including Szeged and Miskolc. As mayor, he has championed policies focused on climate change, public transportation development such as the Budapest Metro, and increasing green spaces. His tenure has been marked by frequent political and legal conflicts with the national government over issues like municipal finances, the management of Budapest Airport, and the development of the River Danube embankments. He was a candidate for Prime Minister in the 2022 Hungarian parliamentary election as the nominee of the united opposition coalition, United for Hungary, though the coalition was defeated nationally by Fidesz–KDNP.

Political positions and views

Karácsony identifies with green politics and social liberalism. He is a strong proponent of decentralization and strengthening local governments, often criticizing the centralization efforts of the Orbán Government. His policy priorities include the European Green Deal, expanding affordable housing in Budapest, and protecting cultural institutions like the Hungarian State Opera and the University of Theatre and Film Arts Budapest from perceived political interference. He is a vocal critic of what he describes as the illiberal democracy model of Viktor Orbán and maintains a pro-European Union stance, advocating for closer integration and the protection of rule of law mechanisms.

Personal life

Gergely Karácsony is married to Márta V. Naszályi, a writer and literary historian. The couple has three children and resides in the Zugló district. He is known for his interest in literature and history, and he occasionally references works by Hungarian poets like Attila József in his speeches. An avid runner, he has participated in several half-marathons in Budapest.