Dávid Vitézy calls recount of invalid votes thorough, justified
The recount of invalid votes cast in the Budapest mayoral election at the June 9 municipal elections was meticulous and justified, Dávid Vitézy, incumbent mayor Gergely Karácsony’s contender, said on Friday evening.
In Sunday’s election, Karácsony garnered 371,466 votes and Dávid Vitézy 371,142. Vitézy appealed against the municipal election office’s results referring to a high number of invalid votes, and the election committee NVB ordered a recount.
The National Election Office on Friday carried out a recount of valid votes that had been erroneously classified as invalid, and scrutinised each vote with more than one mark on the sheet.
The head of NVB announced on Friday evening that the recount had resulted in another 112 valid votes for Karacsony and 395 for Vitézy, with Karacsony winning the election with 41 votes.
Vitézy afterwards thanked the election office for its work and congratulated Karacsony on winning the ballot.
However, in a statement, Vitézy referred to “serious problems around counting votes” which he said “could even call for “a recount of valid votes not yet recounted”.
Vitézy also responded to Karacsony’s calling for a new election in the whole of Budapest despite Friday’s recount turning out in his favour, with the mayor claiming that “the whole process has been infinitely manipulative, full of political misleading, tricks, and wire-tapping.” Vitézy said he was ready to face the challenge.
He noted his appeal against the result of the election in two districts led by the Democratic Coalition, claiming that voters had been deliberately misled in those districts.
Vitézy said that whatever would be the outcome of the legal proceedings still pending, he would accept the final official binding results of the elections once declared.
Read also:
- Karácsony initiates repeat election for Budapest mayor
- Budapest mayoral election: Dávid Vitézy initiates recount of invalid votes
Source: