Hungary held a parliamentary election on 6 April 2014 first according to the new Constitution of Hungary which went into force on 1 January 2012. The new electoral law also entered into force that day. For the first time since Hungary’s transition to democracy, the election had a single round.
Every Hungarian citizen over the age of 18 can participate in the parliamentary elections, held every four years, according to the new Constitution, which came into force on the 1st of January 2012. 2014 was the first time that the election had a single round, in which citizens have one vote for a party list and one for a constituency candidate. Those Hungarians who are registered as minority voters have the possibility to vote either for a party list or for a minority list.
Azáltal megváltozott választási rendszer főbb elemei
The following significant changes were made to the electoral system: while the previous elections required the participation of at least 50 per cent of the voters in the first round, now there is no minimum requirement for the results to be valid. The number of seats in the Parliament has been reduced by almost half, from 386 to 199. The constituency borders have also been changed, partly because the number of seats has been reduced. The number of people living in various constituencies was the other reason, as in the old system, the population of the smallest constituency (33,077) was only one third of the largest one (98,167). Consequently, the vote of the people living in larger constituencies was worth two or even three times less than of those living in smaller ones. Parties gain seats in the Parliament in proportion to the votes received out of all the party list and minority list votes. The 5 per cent threshold is still in force and becomes 10 per cent if two parties have a joint list. The suffrage, for the first time, was extended to Hungarian citizens who do not have a permanent residence in Hungary: they are entitled to cast their ballots for the party list.
Követelmények és jelöltek
Any Hungarian citizen over the age of 18 and resident in Hungary can stand as a candidate for constituency seats in the parliamentary election, provided that they have at least 1000 signatures from people supporting their nomination. I. 3) Voting is a private matter so you must be alone when you go into the ……………. II. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. I. II.
