The position of mayor within local authority relations in Hungary and Poland in a comparative perspective

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

The study aims to compare the position of Hungarian and Polish mayors in horizontal relations of power, considering the changes taking place in this area over the last few years. The article presents the institutional and legal conditions of local leadership in Hungary and Poland, as well as the role of councils with regard to the executive body. It also describes the systems of election to legislative bodies, which is one of the factors influencing the status of councils and relations within a local authority. The results of the analyses show that there are differences in the positions of Hungarian and Polish mayors and that the relations within local authorities in both countries have been affected by convergent and divergent trends. The study uses the comparative method and an institutional-legal approach, as well as the historical method.