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 GÁBOR DEMSZKY, Mayor of Budapest Mayor of Budapest, Gábor Demszky was born in Budapest in 1952, as a son of economist parents. He is the father of three children. After graduating from Kaffka Margit Secondary School, he studied at the Law Faculty of Budapest University but was suspended for a year for organizing a left-wing student demonstration in 1972. During this period, he worked as taxi-driver and librarian and wrote his first sociological book, "Tip." Later on, given the opportunity to complete his studies, he received his doctorate in 1976. Due to difficulties in finding employment he could not work as a lawyer, so he volunteered in a number of sociological investigations. From 1976 to 1981, he was a co-worker of the social science journal Világosság (Shine). Between 1978 and 1981, he studied sociology at the Sociology Faculty of Budapest University. In 1988/89, he spent ten months in the United States studying in New York City at Columbia University. Gábor Demszky was among those who signed the Act of Solidarity for Charter 77 in 1979. He became the founder of SZETA, a Foundation to Help the Poor. Because of his political activity he lost his job, passport and his right to publish. In the spring of 1981, he traveled to Poland to study the techniques of publishing in order to found a samisdat-publishing house. At the end of 1981, together with current Member of Parliament László Rajk, Demsky organized a publishing house named AB Independent Publishers. In spite of police raids, arrests and court orders they were able to start with publishing a collection on Polish resistance movements. Gábor Demszky also regularly contributed to several samisdat papers including "Beszélõ." In 1983, Demsky was sentenced to spend six years in prison, although finally the proceedings were to stay. In 1984, the International Association of Publishers awarded him the Freedom to Publish Prize. He is one of the founders of the Network of Free Initiatives and the Alliance of Free Democrats. He was elected onto the Executive Board of this party in 1989. He is also the founder and one of the directors of the Association to Save Children. At the first free election in the spring of 1990, he was elected Member of Parliament representing one of the constituencies of Budapest. On October 31st, 1990 he was elected Mayor of Budapest. With the assistance of a group of specialists, he worked out a comprehensive long-term program for the development of Budapest. He is Co-president of the Budapest Bank for Budapest Foundation, and President of the Budapest Sports Association (BE). He was elected Vice-President of the Standing Conference of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe in March 1992 and again re-elected in May, 1994. On December 11th, 1994 and on October 18th, 1998 he was re-elected Mayor of Budapest for a four-year term. |  |
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