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GOVT 'WANTS FURTHER LOCAL DEVELOPMENT'

The government wants to see further development in all localities, regardless of whether they will be governed by the ruling Fidesz-Christian Democratic (KDNP) parties or the opposition, Fidesz's campaign chief for the local elections has said.
 

In the ballot a total of 1.8 million people voted for Fidesz-KDNP across the country as against 1.36 million supporting the opposition, Lajos Kósa told public news channel M1, commenting on the outcome of Sunday’s vote. “This gives the ruling alliance a comfortable majority,” he said, adding that Fidesz and KDNP would accept such a result in any general election. “It has also become evident that Hungary is a democracy,” said Kósa, who is also deputy leader of Fidesz.
Speaking to public Kossuth radio, Kósa said Fidesz has won cities where it had earlier thought a victory impossible, adding, however, that the party has at the same time lost districts it had held before. Commenting on future cooperation with newly elected Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony, Kósa said Fidesz was looking forward to seeing his programme. He said Karácsony in his campaign had pledged new hospitals and a “climate-forest”, issues that are not the Budapest municipality’s competence. He, however, failed to address such key issues as a congestion fee, managing the city’s operation or waste disposal, Kósa added.