Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Fidesz Budapest Chapter Questions City Leadership Over Used Frankfurt Tram Purchase

Fidesz Budapest Chapter Questions City Leadership Over Used Frankfurt Tram Purchase

The Budapest chapter of ruling Fidesz questioned the city’s left-wing leadership about the procurement of used trams from Frankfurt which the chapter said had been conducted “undemocratically, unprofessionally and through back-door deals”, in a post on Saturday.
In connection with the purchase, the Public Procurement Arbitration Board has fined the Budapest Transport Company (BKV) 150 million forints (EUR 410,000) over multiple violations, and an investigation by the police is underway for an alleged criminal offense in a procurement and concession procedure, Fidesz said on Facebook.

The party’s municipal chapter noted that Gergely Karácsony, the mayor, had personally approved the 7 billion forint purchase of the used trams that lack air conditioning in June, just a day before the coronavirus-related emergency powers expired.

“The mayor could have called an assembly meeting to discuss the project, but just to make sure, he instead made a decision on his own,” the chapter said.

The Fidesz chapter said it wanted to know “when will those responsible for the series of scandals of the Budapest transport companies be named”, “how will Gergely Karácsony and the city leadership reimburse to Budapest residents the close to 300 million forint fines levied over public procurement projects” and “when will the left stop pointing fingers at others and start working for the city’s residents”.

Gergely Karácsony in response said that “Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is trying to ruin Budapest in every way available to him; this is shown by the fact that the Public Procurement Arbitration Board has fined the Budapest Transport Company (BKV) 150 million forints over the Frankfurt tram procurement”.

Karácsony said on Facebook that the government “is using the Public Procurement Arbitration Board as a political tool”, adding that “the procurement was perfectly legal”.

The mayor said the low-floor Frankfurt trams, which can be fitted with air-conditioning, would replace the old Ganz articulated trams, and the city received a very good offer for the purchase of these trams this year from Frankfurt, its twin city.

“Meanwhile, even though the capital has a valid option contract to draw down close to 50 new CAF trams, the government, like all our preferential borrowing, is blocking this as well,” the mayor said.

“The prime minister is making every effort to ruin Budapest, withdrawing the local business tax, the only revenue source of municipalities, withholding the 12 billion forint annual subsidy of public transport, raising the solidarity contribution levied on the Budapest municipality from 10 billion to 35 billion forints, blocking preferential borrowing for the transport companies, and setting the Public Procurement Arbitration Board on BKV over the Frankfurt trams purchased from the city’s own funds”, Karácsony said.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
A monster hit and a billion-dollar toy empire
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
Canada: Nurse Suspended and Fined 93 Thousand Dollars After Stating the World’s Most Well-Known Fact Since the Creation of Adam and Eve, That There Are Only Two Genders
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
U.S. Treasury Secretary Whitney Bessent Backs Stablecoins to Boost Treasury Demand
Spain to Declare Disaster Zones After Massive Wildfires
Three-Minute Battery Swap Touted as Future of EVs
Beijing Military Parade to Showcase Weapons Advances
U.S. Tech Stocks Slide on AI Boom Concerns
White House Confirms Talks Over Intel Stake
Trump Suggests U.S. Could Support Ukraine ‘By Air’
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
UK Government Tries to Sue 4chan for Breaching Online Safety Act
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Cambridge Dictionary Adds 'Skibidi,' 'Delulu,' and 'Tradwife' Amid Surge of Online Slang
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
The CEO Who Replaced 80% of Employees for the AI Revolution: "I Would Do It Again"
"Every Centimeter of Your Body Is a Masterpiece": The Shocking Meta Document Revealed
Character.ai Bets on Future of AI Companionship
China Ramps Up Tax Crackdown on Overseas Investments
Japanese Office Furniture Maker Expands into Bomb Shelter Market
Intel Shares Surge on Possible U.S. Government Investment
Hurricane Erin Threatens U.S. East Coast with Dangerous Surf
EU Blocks Trade Statement Over Digital Rule Dispute
EU Sends Record Aid as Spain Battles Wildfires
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
China Requires Data Centres to Source Majority of AI Chips Locally, For Technological Sovereignty
Escalating Clashes in Serbia as Anti-Government Protests Spread Nationwide
Category 5 Hurricane in the Caribbean: 'Catastrophic Storm' with Winds of 255 km/h
Trump Backs Putin’s Land-for-Peace Proposal Amid Kyiv’s Rejection
Digital Humans Move Beyond Sci-Fi: From Virtual DJs to AI Customer Agents
YouTube will start using AI to guess your age. If it’s wrong, you’ll have to prove it
Jellyfish Swarm Triggers Shutdown at Gravelines Nuclear Power Station in Northern France
OpenAI’s ‘PhD-Level’ ChatGPT 5 Stumbles, Struggles to Even Label a Map
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
×