The Socialist Party’s Budapest organisation is calling on the central government to provide at least 10 billion forints (EUR 29m) towards the renovation of the capital city’s iconic Chain Bridge. Zsolt Molnár, the party’s Budapest leader, accused the Fidesz government of holding the city and the Chain Bridge investment hostage to “political games” out of revenge for the outcome of last year’s local elections. He accused the government of planning “the biggest and most expensive fireworks of all time” on the August 20 national holiday when “hundreds of thousands of Hungarian families” were still suffering as a result of the economic and social consequences of the coronavirus epidemic. The Socialist Party is launching a campaign to canvass Budapest residents on whether they support the government’s “luxury investments” or the renovation of the Chain Bridge, he said.