Story By: Ana Marjanovic, Sub-Editor: Michael Leidig, Agency: Newsflash
The entire town turned out this week when a Hungarian mayor born during the Second World War wed his teenage girlfriend, who had reportedly just celebrated her 18th birthday.
Also present at the wedding was the bride’s four years old son from a previous relationship with a local man in his thirties.
The teenage mum, who was not named, walked side by side in the town of Kunhegyes, Hungary, with her veteran politician husband-to-be Andras Szabo, 78.
The streets were also lined with cheering locals as they made their way to the registry office for the marriage to be formalised.
Although some local media contacted the mayor for comment, he declined to say anything, and likewise, the mother of the teenage girl also refused to say anything about her daughter’s decision.
Szabo was elected mayor four years ago having already played a leading role in the community for over a decade. He had moved to the area as a young man after being born in another part of the country in 1944.
He graduated from the Fazekas Mihaly Grammar School Gymnasium in the Hungarian town of Debrecen, and only moved to Kunhegyes after graduating from the teacher training college in 1967. He worked as a chemistry and mathematics teacher and until his retirement, he was behind a new primary school, and was also a football coach.
Speculation was rife in the town as to what persuaded the teenager to marry a man four times her age.
He was previously married to a woman who was also much younger, reportedly around 25.
But the couple separated apparently last year.
Pictures published in local media showed the best man dressed in a feathered hat with boots and a vest joining musicians and singing “We have a wedding on our street” before arriving at the registry office in front of a cheering crowd of locals.