Orban: Deals made with outgoing Budapest mayor remain valid

Prime Minister Viktor Orban said he considered the deals made with outgoing Budapest Mayor Istvan Tarlos to remain valid without changes. Orban, who is also the leader of the ruling Fidesz party, told commercial channel HirTV on Wednesday that the local council elections had been won despite some "poignant losses" suffered especially in Budapest and a few other large cities. What's most important from the government's point of view is that an overall 1.8 million supporting votes were cast for the ruling parties, significantly more than for the opposition, Orban said. "As a result, I would like to see the bold and self-confident governance of the past nine years continue, because the support necessary for good work has been expressed for the government's programme," Orban said. The decision of the people of Budapest must be accepted, he said. "Budapest has had a Demszky era, then a Tarlos era and now people have decided that something new should follow," he added.