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Péter Márki-Zay

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The native form of this personal name is Márki-Zay Péter. This article uses Western name order when mentioning individuals.

Péter Márki-Zay
Márki-Zay in 2018
Mayor of Hódmezővásárhely
Incumbent
Assumed office
3 March 2018
Preceded byIstván Almási
Personal details
Born (1972-05-09) 9 May 1972 (age 52)[1]
Hódmezővásárhely, Hungary
Political partyEverybody's Hungary People's Party (2022–present)
Other political
affiliations		Everybody's Hungary Movement (2018–present)
Spouse
Felícia Lilla Vincze
​
​
(m. 1994)​
[2]
Children7[3]
Parent
  • János Márki-Zay (father)
Alma mater
Profession
  • Politician
  • marketer
  • economist
  • electrical engineer
  • historian
[4][5]
Websitemarkizaypeter.hu

Péter Márki-Zay (Hungarian: [ˈpeːtɛr ˈmaːrkizɒji],[6] born 9 May 1972), often referred to by his initials MZP, is a Hungarian politician, marketer, economist, electrical engineer and historian.[7][5] He has served as mayor of Hódmezővásárhely since 2018,[8][9] and is the co-founder of the Everybody's Hungary Movement (Mindenki Magyarországa Mozgalom; MMM).[10][11] As the winner of the 2021 opposition primary, he was the candidate of the United for Hungary challenging Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in the 2022 parliamentary election, which he lost.[12]

Early life and career

[edit]

Childhood and education

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Márki-Zay was born in Hódmezővásárhely, in the Hungarian People's Republic, on 9 May 1972, to a mother who was a chemist and a father who was a physics teacher. He grew up in a conservative and religious family. His great-grandfather was the principal of the Calvinist grammar school of Hódmezővásárhely.[1] Márki-Zay graduated from the Bethlen Gábor Calvinist Grammar School (Bethlen Gábor Református Gimnázium) at Hódmezővásárhely in 1990.[13]

From 1990 to 1993, Márki-Zay attended the College of Commerce and Hospitality (Kereskedelmi és Vendéglátóipari Főiskola) at Budapest, where he studied marketing, then the University of Economics of Budapest (Budapesti Közgazdaságtudományi Egyetem) from 1993 to 1996, where he studied economics. Between 1997 and 2001, he studied electrical engineering at the Technical College of Budapest (Budapesti Műszaki Főiskola).[13] In 2002, he also obtained a degree in history from the University of Szeged (Szegedi Tudományegyetem).[4] He also studied the history of economics at Pázmány Péter Catholic University (Pázmány Péter Katolikus Egyetem) from 2000 and 2005, and graduated as a Doctor of Philosophy in 2006.[14]

Early career

[edit]

Between 1996 and 2004, Márki-Zay first worked at DÉMÁSZ, which was at the time responsible for supplying electricity to Southern Hungary, then at Kontavill-Legrand as an economist and marketing manager.[13]

In 2004, he moved to Canada, with his wife Felícia and their five children. There, he first worked as a door-to-door salesman for a phone service provider, then at the marketing department of Carquest.[13] After about two and a half years, the family moved to Indiana, United States, where he continued to work for Carquest.[13] Between 2008 and 2009, he was a member of the Eastern Indiana Regional Workforce Board.[15] In 2009, the family returned to Hódmezővásárhely, together with their two youngest children, who were born abroad.[3]

In Hódmezővásárhely, he worked at the electricity supplier of Szeged, first in strategical planning, then leading customer service. In 2013, he became a member of the Hungarian Electrotechnical Association (Magyar Elektrotechnikai Egyesület). Between 2016 and 2017, he was the leader of marketing and domestic logistics at Legrand Hungary.[13][16] Until 2014, he taught nonprofit and business marketing at the University of Szeged (Szegedi Tudományegyetem).[13][17]

Political career

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In 2018, Márki-Zay announced that he would be running as an independent candidate in the Hódmezővásárhely mayoral by-election. His candidacy was initially supported by three opposition parties, the Hungarian Socialist Party, Politics Can Be Different and Jobbik;[18] Momentum and the Democratic Coalition endorsed him a few days later.[19] Márki-Zay said that he did not sympathise with the views of any of the parties supporting him, describing himself as a right-wing Christian, and a disappointed Fidesz voter.[20]

Despite the historically unprecedented unity of the opposition parties backing him, his candidacy was initially seen as a long-shot by many observers, owing to Fidesz's popularity in the city,[21] as well as Márki-Zay's political inexperience.[22] On 25 February 2018, he defeated Zoltán Hegedűs by 13,076 votes to 9,468,[8][23] becoming the city's first non-Fidesz mayor since 1990.[24] He assumed office on 3 March, with Andrea Kis from the Hungarian Socialist Party as his deputy mayor.[25]

Following his success, Márki-Zay continued to advocate for a nationwide unity between opposition parties.[26] In 2018, he founded the non-partisan Everybody's Hungary Movement (Mindenki Magyarországa Mozgalom; MMM) in order to further cooperation between opposition parties,[27] and to support representative democracy.[10]

During his first term as a mayor, Márki-Zay vowed to fight for transparency. He revealed that the city was in a much worse financial situation than previously reported.[28] He also made the donations to the city's sports clubs public[29] and revealed that the city's previous leadership regularly failed to pay overtime to their workers.[30] However, his time was not without controversy. He was fined for libel on multiple occasions[31][32] and ordered to remove a "migrant counter" he placed inside the city hall.[33]

In 2019, Márki-Zay ran for reelection, this time under the banner of MMM, as well as the Organisation for a Clean Vásárhely (Tiszta Vásárhelyért Egyesület). His candidacy was once again supported by all major opposition parties. He defeated the Fidesz-backed independent candidate István Grezsa by 13,478 votes to 10,042, earning him a second term as the city's mayor.[34]

In 2021, Márki-Zay announced his intent to run as a candidate for Prime Minister under the banner of the Hungarian opposition. In the first round of the primaries, Márki-Zay came in third place with 20.43% of the vote, placing behind Klára Dobrev and Gergely Karácsony. Karácsony of the PM–MSZP–LMP coalition withdrew before the run-off announcing his support for Márki-Zay.[35] On 17 October, Márki-Zay won the run-off with 56.7% of the vote.[36] Therefore, in the 2022 election, Márki-Zay will be the leader and Prime Ministerial candidate of the United for Hungary political alliance.[37][12]

In 2021 he was named one of the 28 most influential people in Europe, in the "Dreamers" section, by Politico Europe.[38] In early 2022, he tested positive for COVID-19 amid the election campaign.[39]

Political positions

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Márki-Zay has described himself as a right-wing Christian and a disappointed Fidesz voter.[20]

Márki-Zay supports increased European integration including introducing the euro currency and joining the European Public Prosecutor's Office, as well as being in favour of Hungary remaining in NATO.[40][41][42] He stated that, if elected in April, he will introduce a new constitution to restore the rule of law and to introduce same-sex marriage.[43] On societal issues, he attacks Viktor Orbán for his measures, which he considers to be liberticidal, labeling some of his government's actions xenophobic and homophobic, like the 2022 Hungarian LGBTQ in education referendum, and has been described as supporting LGBT rights.[44][42] He accused the Prime Minister of "organizing immigration" and said that it was "in Fidesz", the ruling party, "that we find the most gay people", suggesting that Orbán's son shared this sexual orientation.[45] He declared to be in favor of abortion rights.[46]

Accused of representing a coalition with left-wing personalities, he said: "Jesus Christ was a left-wing person."[47]

Perceived as a neoliberal on economic issues, he opposes raising the minimum wage, believing that the market would be able to regulate salaries, and reforming the tax system. In a press interview in November 2021, he explained that "for the time being, it is in Hungary's interest to be a tax haven", with a corporate tax rate of 9%.[45]

Everybody's Hungary People's Party (MMN)

[edit]

On 18 May 2022, Péter Márky-Zay announced, he is establishing his own political party, the Citizens Party.[48] On 10 January 2023, Péter Márky-Zay enrolled his own political party's new name, which is Everybody's Hungary People's Party.[49] The party registered in June 2023.[50]

Personal life

[edit]

As of 2021, Márki-Zay is married to Felícia Lilla Vincze, a physicist, midwife and doula. They have seven children: Ferenc (b. 1996), Lilla (b. 1997), Teodóra (b. 1998), Gellért (b. 2000), Emma (b. 2003), Lóránt (b. 2005) and Pál (b. 2009).[20][3][51] The family considers itself practicing Roman Catholic, even though Márki-Zay is at odds with dogmatic Church teachings on marriage and abortion.[52] Péter Márki-Zay is a dual national, holding both Hungarian and Canadian citizenship.[53] He is fluent in English, German and French, but can also converse in Spanish, Russian, Romanian and Finnish.[54][55]

Bibliography

[edit]
  • Kálmán, Olga (26 June 2019). Szeretemország – Beszélgetőkönyv Márki-Zay Péterrel (in Hungarian). Budapest: Athenaeum. ISBN 9789632939308.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Cservenák, Zoltán (24 January 2018). ""Fel kell szabadítani a várost" – Márki-Zay Péter útja a polgármesteri csatáig" ["The city must be liberated" – Péter Márki-Zay's road to the mayoral battle]. Magyar Narancs (in Hungarian). Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  2. ^ Biró, Marianna (1 February 2019). "Gyermekhalál-ügyben vették össztűz alá Márki-Zay Péter feleségét" [Péter Márki-Zay's wife under fire in child death case]. Index (in Hungarian). Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  3. ^ a b c Török, Anita (25 October 2009). "5 év után 7 gyermekkel tértek haza" [Returning home after 5 years with 7 children]. Délmagyarország (in Hungarian). Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  4. ^ a b "Elnökség" [Presidium]. Mindenki Magyarországa Mozgalom (in Hungarian). Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  5. ^ a b Crowcroft, Orlando (19 October 2021). "Peter Marki-Zay: Is this the man who can beat Viktor Orban?". Euronews. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  6. ^ Szily, László (18 October 2021). "Végre megtudtuk, hogyan kell ejteni Márki-Zay Péter családnevét" [We finally know how to pronounce Péter Márki-Zay's surname]. 444 (in Hungarian). Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  7. ^ "Márki-Zay Péter" [Péter Márki-Zay]. Villanyszerelők Lapja (in Hungarian). Retrieved 20 January 2022.
  8. ^ a b "Hódmezővásárhely időközi polgármester-választás" [Hódmezővásárhely mayoral by-election]. Nemzeti Választási Iroda (in Hungarian). 25 February 2018. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  9. ^ Sarkadi, Zsolt (3 March 2018). "Beiktatják Márki-Zay Pétert" [Péter Márki-Zay is inaugurated]. 444 (in Hungarian). Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  10. ^ a b "Nagy nevekkel indult el Márki-Zay Péter mozgalma" [Péter Márki-Zay's movement started off with big names]. HVG (in Hungarian). 1 January 2019. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  11. ^ "Does Péter Márki-Zay's new movement pose a threat to Fidesz?". Hungarian Spectrum. 28 February 2019. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  12. ^ a b "Conservative mayor Marki-Zay wins run-off to challenge Hungary's Orban". France 24. 17 October 2021. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g Péter Márki-Zay on LinkedIn
  14. ^ "Márki-Zay Péter védése" [Péter Márki-Zay's dissertation defense]. Országos Doktori Tanács (in Hungarian). Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  15. ^ Marnitz, István (7 January 2022). "Márki-Zay: a rezsicsökkentés marad" [Márki-Zay: the utility cost reduction stays]. Népszava (in Hungarian). Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  16. ^ Soós, Kata (10 January 2018). "Hol az igazság?A Legrand közleménye!" [Where is the truth?Communique from Legrand!]. Promenád (in Hungarian). Archived from the original on 7 March 2018. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  17. ^ "Bemutatkozás" [Introduction]. Azért a víz az úr! (in Hungarian). Archived from the original on 26 February 2018. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  18. ^ Dull, Szabolcs (5 January 2018). "MSZP-Jobbik-LMP egységfront bontakozik ki Lázár János városában" [MSZP-Jobbik-LMP united front emerges in János Lázár's city]. Index (in Hungarian). Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  19. ^ Urfi, Péter (7 January 2018). "A Momentum és a DK is felsorakozik a független hódmezővásárhelyi jelölt mögé" [Momentum and DK also line up behind the independent candidate in Hódmezővásárhely]. 444 (in Hungarian). Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  20. ^ a b c G. Tóth, Ilda (18 October 2021). "Márki-Zay Péter: "Megmutatja a történelem, hogy a diktatúrák sem tartanak örökké"" [Péter Márki-Zay: "History shows that dictatorships do not last forever either"]. HVG (in Hungarian). Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  21. ^ "Hungary: surprise defeat for Viktor Orbán in bellwether byelection". The Guardian. 26 February 2018. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  22. ^ Sarkadi, Zsolt; Halász, Júlia (13 January 2018). "Ha Lázár János a lovát indítaná el a választáson, akkor az is megnyerné" [If János Lázár ran his horse in the election, it would win as well]. 444 (in Hungarian). Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  23. ^ Karasz, Palko (26 February 2018). "Hungary's Opposition Sees Hope After Orban's Candidate Falls". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  24. ^ "To run against Fidesz might be injurious to your health: The case of Péter Márki-Zay". Hungarian Spectrum. 9 January 2018. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  25. ^ Sarkadi, Zsolt (3 March 2018). "A hódmezővásárhelyi MSZP vezetőjét kérte fel Márki-Zay alpolgármesternek" [Márki-Zay asked the leader of the MSZP in Hódmezővásárhely to be deputy mayor]. 444 (in Hungarian). Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  26. ^ Jenei, Miklós (1 March 2018). "Márki-Zay: Csak egy módja van a kormányváltásnak" [Márki-Zay: There is only one way to change the government]. Index (in Hungarian). Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  27. ^ Varga, Krisztián (17 October 2018). "Dokumentum aláírva – hamarosan jöhet Márki-Zay ellenzéki egyesülete" [Document signed – Márki-Zay's opposition association to come soon]. ATV (in Hungarian). Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  28. ^ "Négymilliárdos adóssággal szembesült Márki-Zay Péter" [Péter Márki-Zay faced with four billion in debt]. Hír TV (in Hungarian). 2 March 2018. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  29. ^ "Márki-Zay visszaszúr a szívatásért: a tao-pénzek is nyilvánosak lesznek Hódmezővásárhelyen" [Márki-Zay hits back at the hassle: corporate tax money will also be public in Hódmezővásárhely]. HVG (in Hungarian). 20 March 2018. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  30. ^ "Márki-Zay: Volt olyan önkormányzati dolgozó, akinek ezernél is több kifizetetlen túlórája volt" [Márki-Zay: There were municipal workers who had more than a thousand unpaid overtime hours]. HVG (in Hungarian). 16 January 2019. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  31. ^ Lovas, Gergő (20 December 2018). "Márki-Zayt 800 ezerre büntették egy kórházra tett megjegyzése miatt" [Márki-Zay was fined 800 thousand for a comment he made about a hospital]. Index (in Hungarian). Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  32. ^ Joób, Sándor (24 April 2019). "Két újabb pert veszített kijelentései miatt Márki-Zay Péter" [Péter Márki-Zay loses two more lawsuits over his statements]. Index (in Hungarian). Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  33. ^ Botos, Tamás (13 March 2018). "Leszedették Márki-Zay migránsszámlálóját" [Márki-Zay's migrant counter to be taken down]. 444 (in Hungarian). Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  34. ^ "Helyi önkormányzati választások 2019 - Hódmezővásárhely (Csongrád megye)" [Local government elections 2019 - Hódmezővásárhely (Csongrád County)]. Nemzeti Választási Iroda (in Hungarian). 13 October 2019. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  35. ^ Gaál, Bence (8 October 2021). "Karácsony withdraws from opposition primary". Budapest Business Journal. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  36. ^ Bayer, Lili (17 October 2021). "Conservative wins Hungarian opposition race to face Orbán in 2022". Politico. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  37. ^ Hornok Rita "Márki-Zay vs Orbán: Will the 2022 Elections be a Tale of Two Anti-Elitisms?". 19 December 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  38. ^ "Péter Márki-Zay". Politico. 6 July 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  39. ^ "Hungary's Opposition Leader Marki-Zay Tests Positive For COVID-19 Amid Election Race". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 19 January 2022. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  40. ^ Szakacs, Gergely (18 October 2021). "Hungary's new opposition PM candidate wants stronger ties with EU". Reuters. Budapest. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  41. ^ "Márki-Zay Péter: Magyarország a NATO-nak lesz hűséges szövetségese" [Péter Márki-Zay: Hungary will be a loyal ally of NATO]. Infostart (in Hungarian). 14 February 2022. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  42. ^ a b Thorpe, Nick (2 April 2022). "Russia's war ignites Orban's tightest election challenge in Hungary". BBC News. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  43. ^ Rankin, Jennifer (11 November 2021). "Orbán rival promises new constitution if he defeats Hungary PM". The Guardian. Brussels. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  44. ^ "Az életét tenné arra Márki-Zay Péter, hogy az ellenzék megnyeri a választást" [Péter Márki-Zay would stake his life on the opposition winning the election]. HVG (in Hungarian). 13 February 2022. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  45. ^ a b De Santis, Gaël (15 January 2022). "Hongrie. Pour contrer Viktor Orban, une coalition trop large" [Hungary. To counter Viktor Orban, a coalition too broad]. L'Humanité (in French). Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  46. ^ "Press Roundup: Márki-Zay Supports Same Sex Marriage". Hungary Today. 29 November 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  47. ^ Bayer, Lili (15 October 2021). "Anti-Orbán voters tussle over best candidate: A rising conservative or divisive liberal". Politico. Budapest. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  48. ^ "A Mindenki Magyarországa Mozgalom sem támogatja Márki-Zay pártalapítási terveit". telex (in Hungarian). 18 May 2022. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  49. ^ Csaba, Kunstár (10 January 2023). "Megvan a neve Márki-Zay Péter új pártjának, Hadházy reagált a meghívásra". index.hu (in Hungarian). Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  50. ^ "Bejegyezték Márky-Zay Péter pártját".
  51. ^ Balavány, György (26 June 2019). "Elég nagy baj, hogy Márki-Zay veri a gyerekeit, de még nagyobb, hogy büszkélkedik vele" [It is bad enough that Márki-Zay beats his kids, but it is even worse that he brags about it]. 24 (in Hungarian). Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  52. ^ Urfi, Péter (12 January 2018). "Márki-Zay arra kéri katolikus testvéreit, hogy imádkozzanak vele a megbékélésért, miközben a plébános a szószékről buzdítja a híveket, hogy szavazzanak a Fideszre" [Márki-Zay asks his Catholic brothers to pray for reconciliation with him, while the parish priest urges the faithful to vote for Fidesz from the pulpit]. 444 (in Hungarian). Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  53. ^ Nagy, Gergely Miklós (30 November 2021). "Márki-Zay Péter: Kanadai állampolgár is vagyok" [Péter Márki-Zay: I am also a Canadian citizen]. 24 (in Hungarian). Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  54. ^ Nótin, Tamás (12 May 2021). "Nyelvtudás nélkül is lehet valaki jó miniszterelnök?" [Can you be a good prime minister without language skills?]. Index (in Hungarian). Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  55. ^ Sándor, Czinkóczi (1 January 2024). "Márki-Zay Péter egy év alatt olyan jól megtanult románul, hogy már tolmács nélkül követte a forradalmi megemlékezéseket Aradon". 444 (in Hungarian). Retrieved 1 January 2024.
[edit]
Political offices
Preceded by Mayor of Hódmezővásárhely
2018–present 		Incumbent
Party political offices
New alliance Leader of United for Hungary
2021–present 		Incumbent
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