A by-election is being held in Újpest on the 23rd of March. Campaigns for the by-election are the subject of Republikon's newest analysis. The main takeaways are as follows.
- The by-election in Budapest’s 11the single member constituency was necessitated by the resignation of László Varju, and in the absence of Tisza, he remains the frontrunner.
- The election holds real stakes only for DK, with the aim to prove that they can still defeat Fidesz.
- Fidesz is aware that their candidate, Zsolt Renge, is not the real contender, his campaign is running at a much lower intensity compared to Krisztina Csibi’s in Tolna a few months ago.
- Varju’s presence is a defining factor in the campaign. Fidesz seeks to turn the by-election into a referendum on him, while Varju portrays himself as a victim of a show trial.
- During the election period, Varju operates more as a representative than a campaigning politician, treating the campaign as just another task in his local work.
- Besides the Fidesz and DK candidates, only Csaba Balog, running for Mi Hazánk, is conducting a professional campaign. The other candidates’ efforts are either difficult to interpret in the context of a by-election or clearly lack experts and resources.
- Although the election, like the one in Tolna, is considered a one-horse race, it has received significantly less national attention.
The entire analysis can be accessed in English here.
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analysis, Fidesz, Tisza, Mi Hazánk, DK, Újpest, by-election, László Varju, Renge Zsolt, Balog Csaba, campaigns