Politics
A well-known figure in Szolnok politics is also leaving public life
Following Gabor Berenyi's announcement yesterday that he is leaving the Tegyny Szolnokért team and withdrawing from the district candidacy, Zoltan Szotyori-Lazar, a well-known local member of Jobbik, also declared his departure from the party and the cessation of all his political activities.
As reported, municipal representative Gabor Berenyi had been preparing to challenge the ruling party candidate, Andras Töreki, in Szolnok's electoral district no. 11 during the upcoming local elections in June. However, Berenyi has now decided to leave Jobbik and withdraw from the candidacy.
"I want to clarify that this decision has been brewing for months, and recent events have accelerated and solidified my choice. This is not a sudden impulse or due to any personal motivation," wrote Zoltan Szotyori-Lazar on Facebook, explaining his departure from Jobbik.
"I played a significant role in the opposition's victory in Szolnok in the 2019 local government election, which I consider the pinnacle of my political career. Despite subsequent failures, the political community that supported the 'Szolnok Majority' brand I envisioned eventually disintegrated and disappeared both politically and personally."
Szotyori initially joined Fidesz in 2002 but has been a Jobbik supporter since 2009, eventually becoming a party member. He has served as the president of Jobbik in Szolnok and worked as a municipal representative for four years. Since 2019, he has also been an external member of the Legal, Law Enforcement, and Control Committee of the General Assembly.
Katalin Lukacsi, previously aligned with the Szolnok Plurality faction and currently a representative candidate in the 5th district on Péter Juhasz's team, sharply criticized the two former Jobbik members.
"I am rarely as disappointed in someone as I am today in you and your (former) party partner and friend, Gabor Berenyi, who just weeks ago expressed his enthusiasm to work with Mihaly Györfi in a public program," she remarked. "At least now we are seeing betrayals in Szolnok before the elections, not after." Szotyori-Lazar responded that if he and Berenyi owe an apology, it is for not revealing to the people of Szolnok "how the opposition operates behind the scenes."
