One of the best-known and electorally successful members of the Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP), László Botka, notified the local chapter of his party that he is leaving them, liberal news portal Index reports.
Botka, 46, a lawyer by profession, has been a member of the party since 1991 and became its youngest MP when elected in 1994 at the age of 21. He served as an MP for another three terms but subsequently turned to local politics. Since 2002, he has served as mayor of Szeged, Hungary’s second-largest regional city.
“I leave with only the best wishes for the MSZP and that is all I am going to say about them,” Botka said. He added that he will continue to remain in the local city council as a representative of the Alliance for Szeged.
Shortly after winning the local mayoral elections with over 60 percent of the votes for his fifth consecutive term, he had already said, “I have withdrawn from MSZP and have no up-to-date knowledge of it, and I honestly don’t care either.”
Botka was highly prominent at the local level, featuring in the Socialist Party’s 2018 electoral campaign as their lead candidate, but was never a favorite of the largely Budapest-based leadership.
Socialist Party President Bertalan Tóth reacted to the news in a social media message, writing, “I have noticed with regret László Botka’s decision to leave MSZP … I wish him further success in his work!”
Botka’s departure is a severe blow to the MSZP, which, after a series of electoral defeats seemed to be regaining its footing – or at least halting its downward slide – after stronger results in October municipal elections.
Title image: Former Socialist mayor of Szeged László Botka at the party’s 2017 congress in Budapest. (source: Index/István Huszti)
