The east Hungarian city of Jaszbereny will hold a municipality by-election on 15 January. Peter Marki-Zay, the left wing's failed prime ministerial candidate, announced on a TV programme that they would support the incumbent mayor, Lorant Budai, also using US funds. However, some people have had enough of the greenbacks rolling in.

„Shame!

They keep getting the money, yet they do nothing! We want to decide who will run the city!”

Jaszbereny residents told MediaWorks News Centre, commenting on the fact that the Left’s former prime ministerial candidate also supports the current mayor’s campaign with US money.

Mr Marki-Zay published a post on his social media page last Tuesday asking for money to back the municipal by-election campaign in Jaszbereny. He appealed to his supporters to help the candidates of the Kozosen Jaszberenyert (Together for Jaszbereny) Association either via activist work, or financial support. In the post, he included the bank account number of his own movement for the donations. The politician then said that he would find not find it a problem if the movement was somehow to receive foreign donations again. Talking to the Hungarian ATV channel a day later, he said that the campaign was being funded partly from the already received US monies.

As it has recently come to light, the background organisations of the Hungarian left had been supported with no less than 3 billion forints (7.5 million euros) worth of donations by a US NGO before the 2022 parliamentary elections.

The direct aim of the covert action, conducted by openly bypassing Hungary’s party financing laws, was surely to provide capital to the background structures with ties to former Socialist PM Gordon Bajnai. Half of the money was transferred directly, with the other half being provided through the pseudo-civil organisation of the politician winning the primaries.