Pécs campaigns for cultural capital using shady methods

Leaders of the Southern city of Pécs, which is struggling with hardships related to its 2010 Cultural Capital of Europe (EKF) project, on Friday, February 1 presented an open letter allegedly signed by 48 well-known local personalities who are in favor of completing the project. However, one of the names on the list is István Tarrósy's, who is an author of the original application, and he was not in Pécs when he allegedly agreed for his name to be included.

According to hirszerzo.hu, in the letter, which addresses "the public opinion of the country," the leaders of the city express their support for the EKF project. The methods for collecting the signatures, however, were shady. Several people who signed the letter had been informed only the same day that they should appear at the Pátria Hotel and sign an open letter, while others were apparently never informed at all that their names would be on the letter.

Tarrósy, who managed the EKF project until the beginning of 2007, was in Budapest when his name was written onto the list. He said he had not known that the leadership of the city was planning such a campaign, and while he supported the project, he believed support should not be expressed in this way.

Taróssy quit the Pécs 2010 project in February 2007, because he had had enough of weak leadership and excessive political influence on it.

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