The opposition alliance’s candidate in Pest County’s 10th constituency (Monor-Pilis-Albertirsa), Mihály Gér, announced his withdrawal from the elections after rude remarks he made on social media after his deadly car accident were brought to light. The Párbeszéd politician explains he was found not guilty but was still under shock at the time of the comments. At this point, however, the case would put a heavy burden on him and the opposition in the midst of the electoral campaign.

Gér easily beat Democratic Coalition’s (DK) Máté Magdics in October at the primaries and would have faced Fidesz’s Tibor Pogácsás in the district where the ruling forces had won by 52% of the votes in 2018.

Back in 2016, he ran over a young couple with his car on Budapest’s Andrássy Avenue. While the boy succumbed to his wounds, the girl suffered serious injuries. Later it was established that Gér wasn’t responsible for the accident, as the couple stepped out into traffic despite the red light. His comments made on social media after the crash, however, were seen as extremely insensitive.

“Don’t run drunk in front of me at red lights, please,” wrote Gér, who also complained that his car was “all over with marrow and hair and totally disgusting.” At one point he also asked “Who killed a man today” revealing that “I only crippled the girl”. When asked what happened, he said their victims thought they were stronger than his Audi.

He announced his withdrawal just hours after his controversial posts had been published in the press. According to his explanation,

“Six years ago, I was involved in an accident, declared not guilty by a final court verdict (…) today, a message I wrote in a private group immediately after the accident, in a state of shock, has come to light. Although I have apologized for my words on the same forum, I have to admit that continuing my campaign would place a heavy burden on me, my party, and the opposition coalition. I therefore, withdraw from the nomination today. Although it wasn’t my fault, the incident has left a deep and indelible mark on me. I am extremely sorry for what happened and I would like to express my sympathy to the families of the victims.”

Reportedly, Gér had already completed the collection of the 500 recommendations slips required for running in the individual constituencies at the elections. The new candidate, who hasn’t been officially named yet (although the aforementioned Magdics is probably the favorite for the job), has until February 25th to do so.