Hungary: Budapest mayor pulls out of opposition primary race

By JUSTIN SPIKE
Associated Press

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — The mayor of Hungary’s capital has announced he would withdraw from a primary contest which will choose a joint opposition nominee to challenge right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban in an election next year. Budapest Mayor Gergely Karacsony’s withdrawal Friday ended his candidacy in a race in which he was once considered the frontrunner. He asked his supporters to get behind moderate conservative Peter Marki-Zay in the interests of “reuniting Hungary.” The primary contest is part of a strategy by Hungary’s six main opposition parties to unite behind a single challenger to Orban. Marki-Zay will now face center-left candidate Klara Dobrev in the second round of the primary set to begin Sunday.