Local Government by-elections
Registration of a Nominating Organization for the Local Government by-elections
The local election commission shall schedule the by-elections for local government representatives and mayors, while the regional election commission shall schedule the by-elections for county and capital city assemblies and mayors.
In a by-election, the following organizations may be registered as nominating organizations at the time of the election:
- political parties,
- other associations (except trade unions), and
- national minority organizations
that are legally registered in the court registry. In the case of national minority organizations, they must comply with the provisions of Section 2(14) of Act CLXXIX of 2011 on the Rights of National Minorities. This means that the association must have been registered as a national minority association since at least June 30, 2024, and its articles of association must have specified the representation of a specific national minority as its objective for at least three years prior to the year of the national minority local government elections.
The party, association, or national minority organization (hereinafter referred to as the nominating organization) must submit the P6 form (hereinafter: the form) to announce its candidacy. Any later changes to data must also be reported using this form.
The nominating organization may be registered in the court registry of civil organizations by a person authorized to represent it (hereinafter: the legal representative). In the case of local government by-elections, registration is made with the competent local election commission; in the case of by-elections for county and capital city assemblies or mayors, registration is made with the competent regional or Capital City Election Commission.
The contact details of the election bodies can be found here.
The legal representative (or legal representatives, in case of joint signature rights) must sign the form, which can then be submitted electronically:
- via the company portal, in accordance with the rules of electronic administration,
- by email with a qualified or advanced electronic signature or authenticated by an identification-based document authentication service (AVDH) (if the electronic signatory is authorized to represent the nominating organization),
- in person by the legal representative,
- anyone can submit a form signed by the legal representative,
- by post.
Nominating organizations that nominate a joint candidate or list must register separately.
If the nominating organization is an association, it must declare at the time of registration that it will not use foreign support or support from domestic legal entities or non-legal entities, anonymous donations, or any property acquired from these sources to influence voters or attempt to do so in connection with the election.
If the nominating organization is a national minority organization, it must declare at the time of registration that it meets the requirements set by Act CLXXIX of 2011 on the Rights of National Minorities (the organization must have the goal of representing the national minority specified in the statute for at least three years before the national minority self-government elections).
Official name, abbreviated name of the Nominating Organization
The form must include the official name of the nominating organization, which must always match the name registered in the court registry of civil organizations. The public, electronic court registry of civil organizations can be accessed here.
Additionally, the form must include the abbreviated name of the nominating organization, which is primarily the abbreviated name registered in the court registry of civil organizations. If such a name is missing, another abbreviated name provided at the time of the registration can be used. However, this name cannot be identical to the name or abbreviated name of another organization already registered in the court registry of civil organizations or in the registry of nominating organizations, candidates, and lists for the specific by-election.
If there is no abbreviated name registered in the court registry of civil organizations, a name may be given during the registration that has a grammatical relationship to the official name of the nominating organization (e.g., an abbreviation or acronym) or demonstrates a logical connection with the organization's activities.
If no abbreviated name is provided, the official name of the nominating organization will appear on the website www.valasztas.hu, limited to the first 31 characters.
The abbreviated name will only appear on the ballot paper if the nominating organization requests it on the form at the time of the registration. The deadline for this request is strict, meaning that if the request is missed, the abbreviated name will not be displayed on the ballot paper after the registration.
The name of the nominating organization must appear in the same form on all nominating forms and ballot papers, regardless of any changes to the organization's name. This rule means that if the name of the nominating organization changes after the start of the recommendation collection, the new name will not appear on the nominating forms or ballot papers after the first issue of the forms.
A rule ensuring equality of opportunity among organizations is that all nominating organizations will have their names appear on the ballot paper in uppercase letters, with the same font and font size.
The logo of the Nominating Organization
When submitting the registration, the nominating organization may attach its logo to the P3 form. The logo must be provided as a JPG file with a resolution of 472×236 pixels and 300 dpi. The logo appears in color on the internet and in grayscale on the ballot paper, within an area 20 millimeters high and 40 millimeters wide.
Under current legislation, the deadline for registering the logo is strict. This means that, similar to the abbreviated name, the logo will appear on the ballot paper only if the nominating organization requests it on the P3 form at the time of registration (a warning to this effect is also included in point (4) of the form).
Furthermore, it is important to note that, under Section 5(1) of Act CCII of 2011 on the Use of the Coat of Arms and Flag of Hungary and on State Honours, the coat of arms of Hungary –including its distinguishable elements such as the shield and the Holy Crown – may not be used as a symbol, or as part of a symbol, by a nominating organization. In addition, the use of the coat of arms and symbols of individual municipalities must comply with the relevant municipal regulations.
The Name of the National Minority Organization in the Language of the National Minority
A national minority nominating organization may request that its official name and abbreviated name be included on the ballot paper in the language of the national minority. In this case, when submitting the registration, the organization must attach an MS Word file containing the official name and abbreviated name in uppercase letters.
Proxy
The form may only be signed by the legal representative of the nominating organization.
The legal representative may designate a representative authorized to make declarations on behalf of the nominating organization. The authorization granted in this way is general and transferable.
The organization may register additional authorized representatives with the election bodies. Authorizations recorded in a public deed or private deed of full probative value must be submitted to the election office operating alongside the election commission authorized to register the nominating organization during office hours. The contact details of the electoral offices can be found here.
A template for the authorization to delegate the representation rights further is available here. The data of the representatives of the organization, as described above, are recorded by the election office in the election IT system, so these individuals can act in front of the election bodies after verifying their identity.
Furthermore, the representatives listed in the IT system may transfer the authorization to additional representatives in writing (in a public deed or private deed with full probative force), who, upon presentation of this authorization and in accordance with its contents, are entitled to act on behalf of the nominating organization in front of the election bodies.
Registration of the Nominating Organization
The nominating organization must be registered with the local election commission that has regional responsibility for the by-election in the case of a municipal by-election, with the competent regional election commission in the case of a by-election for a county assembly, and with the Capital City Election Commission in the case of a by-election for the mayor or city assembly in the capital. Registration is completed by submitting the form to the election office operating alongside the relevant election commission.
The existence of the registered organization and the authenticity of its data will be verified by the election office in the court registry of civil organizations.
The local or regional election commissions are authorized to register nominating organizations for by-elections based on the location of the election. In the case of a municipal by-election, the local election commission is responsible, and in the case of a by-election for the county assembly, city assembly in the capital, or mayor of the capital, the regional election commission/Capital City Election Commission will handle the registration of the nominating organization.
If the organization's registration complies with all legal requirements, the election commission must register it no later than the fourth day after the submission.