Joint statement to OSCE States
European election observers and Hungarian civil society organisations call on EU Member State governments to honour OSCE ODIHR’s recommendations and second election observers to Hungary for the parliamentary elections on April 3 22 February 2022 To EU Member State Governments – As a group of leading election observer groups from across the EU and Hungarian […]
EU states must second sufficient observers to ODIHR’s EOM
22 February 2022 As a group of leading election observer groups from across the EU and Hungarian civil society organisations, we are calling on OSCE participating States, and particularly those within the EU, to honour the recommendations made by OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and second long-term and short-term […]
Hungary: ODIHR needs assessment mission briefing
Summary Hungary faces a once-in-a-generation election in spring 2022, with a unified opposition for the first time presenting a genuine challenge to the ruling Fidesz-KDNP and Prime Minister Viktor Orban. This document sets out why a systematic and comprehensive observation of election day proceedings through a full-scale ODIHR Election Observation Mission (EOM) is necessary to […]
Legalized vote tourism threatens next year’s parliamentary election in Hungary
An amendment passed by the Hungarian parliament in November introduced a new legal definition of ‘residence’: instead of the place where the citizen lives, it now stands for little more than a contact address in official communication. Though the change may appear minor and administrative, it could have far-reaching consequences for the upcoming parliamentary elections.
Legalized vote tourism threatens next year’s parliamentary election in Hungary
An amendment passed by the Hungarian parliament in November introduced a new legal definition of ‘residence’: instead of the place where the citizen lives, it now stands for little more than a contact address in official communication. Though the change may appear minor and administrative, it could have far-reaching consequences for the upcoming parliamentary elections. […]
Electoral code amended, concerns about further changes remain
Election poster in Budapest for Viktor Orban, 2018. Source: nytimes.com (Adam Berry/Getty Images). As 2020 is coming to a close, the agenda of the Hungarian parliament’s last sessions are dominated by concluding debates and voting on pending legislative initiatives, among them on the amendments to the electoral code submitted to the parliament by the […]
Electoral code amended, concerns about further changes remain
Ahead of the upcoming 2022 parliamentary elections, the Hungarian governing coalition passed an amendment to the country’s electoral code introducing stricter conditions for parties to register national lists in the elections, which in practical terms seems to be forcing the parties of the democratic opposition to run on one joint party list. While adjustments to […]
Concerns over Hungary’s pending electoral code amendment
Ahead of Hungary’s next parliamentary elections scheduled for 2022, the Orbán-government submitted a new amendment to the electoral code on 10 November 2020. Along with a series of technical adjustments, the amendment seeks to change the conditions under which parties can register national lists for the election. The proposal comes as the main opposition parties […]
Concerns over Hungary’s pending electoral code amendment
Hungarian parliament after the vote to extend emergency powers to the government, 10 November 2020. Source: dailynewshungary.com (MTI) Although the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic is in full swing in Hungary, the upcoming 2022 parliamentary elections already loom on the horizon. Just as new corona-restrictions were about to enter into force under the […]
An early balance of emergency measures
In response to COVID-19, the Orbán-government has introduced measures that are neither temporary nor proportional. In this analysis, election expert Zsuzsanna Végh argues that the government is using the pandemic as a distraction to further introduce restrictions on democratic rights and freedoms in Hungary.