Hungary’s Orban sidelines another woman in nation’s man-heavy politics
- Orban’s pick to become the mayor of Budapest, former government spokeswoman Alexandra Szentkiralyi, abruptly withdrew from the race on Friday
Orban’s pick to become the mayor of Budapest, former government spokeswoman Alexandra Szentkiralyi, abruptly withdrew from the race on Friday. The Fidesz member announced she would support a third-party candidate that Orban’s party believes has a better shot at unseating the popular liberal mayor of the Hungarian capital, Gergely Karacsony.
Her decision was made public less than 48 hours before voting started in nationwide local elections, where the ballot to lead Budapest is the biggest prize.
Fidesz, which Orban has moved over the last decade to the anti-immigration, nationalist right, has never been a bastion of gender equality. But Szentkiralyi’s departure comes months after the two most powerful women in Fidesz’s ranks were brought down by a scandal that had threatened Orban’s political standing.