Balázs Győrffy, a member of the European Parliament from Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party, said Friday he would stand down after carrying out booze-fueled “violence” against a woman.

“Last night I got into a drunken argument with a lady that, to my great regret, escalated into violence. What I did was intolerable and inexcusable,” Győrffy wrote in a Facebook post.

According to the Hungarian tabloid Blikk, the MEP was at a party at a club in downtown Budapest and shouted at a woman, which turned into a group fight with her companions. The police were called to the scene.

“Although I regretfully have no memory of what happened, what I did was unacceptable,” Győrffy added. “After what I have done, I have no place in public life. Therefore, I am resigning from all my public positions and leaving Fidesz. This is the least I can do in this situation.”

Győrffy, who was elected to the European Parliament only a few weeks ago after serving 14 years as a member of parliament in Hungary, apologized to the victim, to his own family and to his supporters. “In addition to the public responsibility for my actions, I will of course accept any legal consequences,” he added.

POLITICO reached out to the prosecutor’s office, which confirmed the start of an investigation into Győrffy on suspicion of assault and aggravated assault but did not comment on the case. Budapest police had no comment as the case has been taken over by the Central Chief Prosecutor’s Office of Investigation.

Following Győrffy’s announcement, the Fidesz party also reacted, saying there is “no excuse” for the MEP’s behavior. “Fidesz has clear rules and values, and anyone who violates them cannot be a member of our community! We do not tolerate violence, especially against women!” the party said.

Fidesz MEPs abstained from voting on the first-ever EU rules to combat violence against women this April, and the Hungarian parliament refuses to ratify the Istanbul Convention on the prevention of violence against women and domestic violence.

Győrffy isn’t the first Fidesz MEP to resign in disgrace in recent years. József Szájer, the veteran Fidesz politician and longtime ally of Orbán, resigned in 2020 after a scandal over his participation in a lockdown party in central Brussels featuring naked men and drugs.

Politico

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