If the mandate of the mayor expires, the local election commission, or in the case of the mayor of the capital, the Budapest Election Commission, shall schedule a by-election to fill the vacancy.

In a by-election for mayor of the capital, a candidate may be:

• a party candidate,
• an association candidate, or
• an independent candidate.

In the first two cases (party and association candidate), it is necessary for the party/association to be registered as a nominating organization by the local election commission in the constituency of the by-election for mayor, or by the Budapest Election Commission in the case of a by- election for mayor of the capital. Two or more nominating organizations may also nominate a joint candidate.

A candidate for mayor can be a person who is recommended by:

• at least 3% of the voters of a municipality with a population of 10,000 or less,
• at least 300 voters in the case of a municipality with a population exceeding 10,000 but not exceeding 100,000,
• at least 500 voters in the case of a municipality with a population exceeding 100,000.

A candidate for mayor of the capital can be a person who is recommended by at least 5,000 voters of the capital city.

In municipalities with a population of 10,000 or less, the number of recommendations required for nomination shall be determined by the head of the local election office (LEO) on the 66th day before the election, based on the electoral register data of the 67th day before the election. The required number of recommendations shall be made known to the concerned parties by the head of the LEO in the form of a notice/announcement/etc. The number of recommendations shall also be published locally in the usual manner (website, notice board, local newspaper), and candidates and nominating organizations may also request information directly from the local election office, which may also directly notify known candidates and nominating organizations.

In municipalities with a population exceeding 10,000, there is no need to determine the number of recommendations for mayor or mayor of the capital candidacy, as the Act on Electoral Procedure explicitly stipulates the minimum required number of recommendations.

Recommendation

A candidate for mayor can only be recommended on a numbered recommendation sheet issued by the competent local election office (of the place of candidacy). The recommendation sheets required for a candidate for mayor of the capital can be requested and collected from the Budapest Election Office The contact details of the election offices can be found here.

Requesting Recommendation Sheets

A recommendation sheet may be requested after the announcement of the by-election by a voter intending to run as an independent candidate, or by a person authorized to represent a legally registered nominating organization. The A4 form is used for submitting the request, which can be submitted by anyone, without authorization, to the election office operating alongside the election commission of the place of candidacy.

If the sheets are requested for the recommendation of a candidate nominated by a nominating organization, the form must be signed by both the nominating organization and the candidate.

It is important to note that a recommendation sheet can only be requested for a voter who has the right to vote at the time of submitting the request.

Name

If the candidate has multiple first names, they may request on the A4 form when requesting the recommendation sheets that only one of their first names be included on the recommendation sheets, the ballot paper, and the official election website. They may also request the omission of the "Dr." title, if it is part of their name. Once the recommendation sheets have been issued for the first time, the declaration regarding the display of the name cannot be modified.

Receipt of Recommendation Sheets

The election office shall hand over the requested number of recommendation sheets to the requester immediately after the request, but no earlier than the 50th day before the election. Recommendation sheets can still be requested and collected after this date on working days during office hours.

The following are entitled to collect the recommendation sheets:

• the voter intending to run as a candidate,
• the person designated on the A4 form for requesting the sheets,
• the following representatives of the legally registered nominating organization:
• • a) the legal representative(s), i.e., the person(s) registered as the representative(s) of the organization in the court register of civil organizations,
  • b) the person indicated in point 5 of the P6 form,
  • c) a person authorized by the persons under a) and b),
  • d) a person authorized by the persons under a)-c) with a private document of full evidentiary force or a public document.

The election office shall issue a handover-receipt protocol upon the handover of the recommendation sheets. Making copies of the recommendation sheets, even when blank, is strictly prohibited!

Additional new recommendation sheets can be requested by submitting a new A4 form until the deadline for submitting the candidate's nomination, i.e., 4:00 PM on the 34th day before the election.

If the name of the voter intending to run as a candidate or the nominating organization changes after the first issuance of the recommendation sheets, this will not be reflected on the subsequently requested recommendation sheets.

A voter intending to run as a national minority candidate must also declare on the form when requesting the recommendation sheet that they undertake the representation of their nationality and that they speak the language, know the culture and traditions of the national minority community.

The local election office, or in the case of a candidate for mayor of the capital, the Budapest Election Office, shall check in the register of candidates when the form for requesting the sheets is submitted whether the voter requesting the recommendation sheet and intending to run as a national minority candidate was not a national minority candidate of another nationality in the previous two general elections of local government representatives and mayors, as well as national minority self-government representatives, and the by-elections following them. If the voter intending to run as a candidate was previously a candidate of another national minority, their request for sheets does not meet the legal requirements, and therefore the recommendation sheets cannot be issued to them.

Collecting Recommendations

A voter submits their recommendation on the recommendation sheet, which must be filled in with their name, personal identification number, Hungarian address, and their own handwritten signature. Another person may write the voter's data on the recommendation sheet in the voter's presence, but their own handwritten signature is still an essential condition.

A voter may recommend multiple candidates, but may only support one candidate with one recommendation; any further recommendations are invalid. A recommendation cannot be withdrawn.

Recommendations can be collected anywhere without harassment, except in the following cases:

• At the workplace of the person collecting the recommendations during working hours,
• At the workplace of the voter making the recommendation during working hours,
• While fulfilling work obligations of the person collecting recommendations under an employment or similar relationship,
• While fulfilling the work obligations of the voter making the recommendation under an employment or similar relationship,
• From a member of the Hungarian Armed Forces or a central government employee at their workplace or while fulfilling their duties,
• On public transportation,
• In the offices of state, local, and national minority local government bodies,
• In higher education and public education institutions,
• In healthcare service facilities,
• On private property open to the public without the owner's prior written consent.

Recommendations collected in violation of the recommendation rules are invalid!

It is forbidden to offer or promise any advantage to the voter for giving a recommendation!

The recommendation sheet must also include the name, personal identification number or the number of the recommender's identity card/passport/driving license, and signature of the person collecting the recommendation. It is important for independent candidates and nominating organizations to pay particular attention to ensuring that the collector accurately provides their data on the recommendation sheet. If the collector's data is incomplete or incorrect (e.g., a misspelling of their personal identification number, a discrepancy between their current and birth name, and the latter is provided), it will result in the invalidity of all recommendations on that recommendation sheet.

Furthermore, we draw the attention of all voters intending to run as candidates and nominating organizations to the fact that the National Authority for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (NAIH) will publish a recommendation on its website (www.naih.hu) prior to the election regarding data processing related to elections, which all concerned parties are advised to consider. The NAIH's recommendations can be viewed at the following link: https://www.naih.hu/adatvedelmi-ajanlasok

Nomination of the Candidate for Mayor of the Capital

The candidate for mayor of the capital must be nominated by submitting the recommendation sheets to the local election commission competent for registration, and the candidate for mayor of the capital to the Budapest Election Commission, no later than 4:00 PM on the 34th day before the election. There is no possibility for the delayed submission of recommendations! At the time of nomination, at least the number of recommendations required for candidacy must be submitted.

The election office will not check the recommendations if the number of recommendations on the submitted sheets does not reach the number required for candidacy.

In addition to submitting the recommendation sheets, candidates must declare that they will not use foreign funding or assets originating from foreign support in relation to the given election for the purpose of influencing or attempting to influence the will of the voters. There is no mandatory form for the declaration.

Returning the Recommendation sheets

All recommendation sheets must be returned to the election office by the deadline for submitting the candidacy (no later than 4:00 PM on the 34th day before the election). A recommendation sheet that does not contain any recommendations must be returned no later than 4:00 PM on the 33rd day before the election. A blank recommendation sheet is one that does not contain any data. A recommendation sheet on which the entered data has been crossed out, obliterated, or made illegible with correction fluid or other means is not considered a blank form.

The recommendation sheets can be handed over to the local election office, or in the case of a candidate for the mayor of the capital, to the Budapest Election Office, by anyone without authorization.

In the event of failure to comply with the obligation to return the forms, the local election commission competent for registering the candidate for mayor, or in the case of a candidate for the mayor of the capital, the Budapest Election Commission, is obliged to impose a fine ex officio. The amount of the fine is HUF 1,000 for each recommendation sheet not submitted by the deadline. The fine imposed by the election commission shall be borne by the voter intending to run as an independent candidate, or in the case of a candidate nominated by a nominating organization, by the nominating organization nominating the candidate, or in the case of a joint candidate, by all nominating organizations participating in the nomination, jointly and severally.

There is no possibility of exemption for this obligation, and the fine must be paid even if the recommendation sheets were lost or destroyed for reasons beyond the control of the fined candidate or party.

Verification of Recommendations

The recommendations submitted shall be verified by the election office operating alongside the election commission competent for registering the candidate within 3 days from the submission of the candidacy.

The verification of recommendations only needs to continue until the number of valid recommendations reaches the number required for candidacy.

In addition, if the voter intending to run as a candidate or the nominating organization requests it, the election office performing the verification shall provide information on the result of the verification.

Registration of the Candidate for Mayor of the Capital

If the nomination meets the legal requirements, the local election commission shall register the candidate for mayor, and the Budapest Election Commission shall register the candidate for mayor of the capital, no later than the 4th day following the submission of the nomination.

If the election commission rejects the registration of the candidate due to an insufficient number of recommendations, the independent candidate or the nominating organization may request additional recommendation sheets by submitting a new A4 form until the deadline for submitting the candidacy, i.e., 4:00 PM on the 34th day before the election. The additional recommendations collected and submitted by the deadline must be added to the recommendations submitted earlier.

Rules Regarding the Nomination of a Joint Candidate for the Mayor of the Capital

Two or more nominating organizations may nominate a joint candidate for the mayor of the capital.

The recommendation sheet must be requested together by the nominating organizations participating in the nomination of the joint candidate on the A4 form.

Withdrawal of a Candidate for the Mayor of the Capital

A candidate for mayor of the capital is withdrawn if:

• they are removed from the central electoral register before the start of voting,
• they lose their eligibility to be elected,
• the nominating organization nominating the candidate, or all nominating organizations participating in the nomination of a joint candidate, are removed from the register of nominating organizations, candidates, and lists before the start of voting,
• they resign their candidacy in writing by 4:00 PM on the second day before the election - electronically after electronic identification, by submitting a declaration in person or through a delivery proxy to the election office operating alongside the election commission that decided on their registration.

Nomination

In a municipality with a population of 10,000 or less, if the representative body has been dissolved or has dissolved itself, and if the number of representatives falls below the quorum necessary for the representative body to function, the local election commission shall set a by-election.

A single-member constituency candidate can be a person who has been recommended by at least 1% of the voters of the municipality. The number of recommendations required for nomination shall be determined by the head of the local election office on the 66th day before the election, based on the electoral register data of the 67th day before the election.

Recommendation

A candidate can only be recommended on a numbered recommendation sheet issued by the competent local election office (of the place of candidacy). The contact details of the local election offices can be found here.

Requesting Recommendation sheets

A recommendation sheet may be requested after the announcement of the by-election by a voter intending to run as an independent candidate, or by a person authorized to represent a legally registered nominating organization. The A4 form is used for submitting the request, which can be submitted by anyone, without authorization, to the local election office of the place of candidacy.

It is important to note that a recommendation sheet can only be requested for a voter who has the right to vote at the time of submitting the request.

If the sheets are requested for the recommendation of a candidate nominated by a nominating organization, the form must be signed by both the nominating organization and the candidate.

Name

If the candidate has multiple first names, they may request on the A4 form when requesting the recommendation sheets that only one of their first names be included on the recommendation sheets, the ballot paper, and the official election website. They may also request the omission of the "Dr." title, if it is part of their name. Once the recommendation sheets have been issued for the first time, the declaration regarding the display of the name cannot be modified.

Collecting Recommendation sheets

The local election office shall hand over the requested number of recommendation sheets to the requester immediately after the request, but no earlier than the 50th day before the election. Recommendation sheets can still be requested and collected after this date on working days during office hours.

The following are entitled to collect the recommendation sheets:

• the voter intending to run as a candidate,
• the person designated on the A4 form for requesting the sheets,
• the following representatives of the legally registered nominating organization:
• • a) the legal representative(s), i.e., the person(s) registered as the representative(s) of the organization in the court register of civil organizations;
  • b) the person indicated in point 5 of the P6 form;
  • c) a person authorized by the persons under a) and b);
  • d) a person authorized by the persons under a)-c) with a private document of full evidentiary force or a public document.

The election office shall issue a handover-receipt protocol upon the handover of the recommendation sheets. Making copies of the recommendation sheets, even when blank, is strictly prohibited!

Additional new recommendation sheets can be requested by submitting a new A4 form until the deadline for submitting the candidate's nomination, i.e., 4:00 PM on the 34th day before the election.

If the name of the voter intending to run as a candidate or the nominating organization changes after the first issuance of the recommendation sheets, this will not be reflected on the subsequently requested recommendation sheets.

National Minority Candidate

A voter intending to run as a national minority candidate must also declare on the form when requesting the recommendation sheet that they undertake the representation of their nationality and that they speak the language, know the culture and traditions of the national minority community.

The local election office shall check in the register of candidates when the form for requesting the sheet is submitted whether the voter requesting the recommendation sheet and intending to run as a national minority candidate was not a national minority candidate of another nationality in the previous two general elections of local government representatives and mayors, as well as national minority self-government representatives, and the by-elections following them. If the voter intending to run as a candidate was previously a candidate of another nationality, their request for sheets does not meet the legal requirements, and therefore the recommendation sheets cannot be issued to them.

Collecting Recommendations

A voter submits their recommendation on the recommendation sheet, which must be filled in with their name, personal identification number, Hungarian address, and their own handwritten signature. Another person may write the voter's data on the recommendation sheet in the voter's presence, but their own handwritten signature is still an essential condition.

A voter may recommend multiple candidates, but may only support one candidate with one recommendation; any further recommendations are invalid. A recommendation cannot be withdrawn.

Recommendations can be collected anywhere without harassment, except in the following cases:

• At the workplace of the person collecting the recommendations during working hours,
• At the workplace of the voter making the recommendation during working hours,
• While fulfilling work obligations of the person collecting recommendations under an employment or similar relationship,
• While fulfilling the work obligations of the voter making the recommendation under an employment or similar relationship,
• From a member of the Hungarian Armed Forces or a central government employee at their workplace or while fulfilling their duties,
• On public transportation,
• In the offices of state, local, and national minority local government bodies,
• In higher education and public education institutions,
• In healthcare service facilities,
• On private property open to the public without the owner's prior written consent.

Recommendations collected in violation of the recommendation rules are invalid!

It is forbidden to offer or promise any advantage to the voter for giving a recommendation!

The recommendation sheet must also include the name, personal identification number or the number of the recommender's identity card/passport/driving license, and signature of the person collecting the recommendation. It is important for independent candidates and nominating organizations to pay particular attention to ensuring that the collector accurately provides their data on the recommendation sheet. If the collector's data is incomplete or incorrect (e.g., a misspelling of their personal identification number, a discrepancy between their current and birth name, and the latter is provided), it will result in the invalidity of all recommendations on that recommendation sheet.

Furthermore, we draw the attention of all voters intending to run as candidates and nominating organizations to the fact that the National Authority for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (NAIH) will publish a recommendation on its website (www.naih.hu) prior to the election regarding data processing related to elections, which all concerned parties are advised to consider. The NAIH's recommendations can be viewed at the following link: https://www.naih.hu/adatvedelmi-ajanlasok

Nomination of an Individual List Candidate

The candidate must be nominated by submitting the recommendation sheets to the local election commission competent for registration (of the place of candidacy) no later than 4:00 PM on the 34th day before the election. There is no possibility for the delayed submission of recommendation sheets! At the time of nomination, at least the number of recommendations required for candidacy must be submitted.

The election office will not check the recommendations if the number of recommendations on the submitted sheets does not reach the number required for candidacy.

In addition to submitting the recommendation sheets, candidates must declare that they will not use foreign support or assets originating from foreign support in relation to the given election for the purpose of influencing or attempting to influence the will of the voters. There is no mandatory form for the declaration.

Returning the Recommendation sheets

All recommendation sheets must be returned to the local election office by the deadline for submitting the candidacy, i.e., no later than 4:00 PM on the 34th day before the election. A recommendation sheet that does not contain any recommendations must be returned no later than 4:00 PM on the 33rd day before the election. A blank recommendation sheet is one that does not contain any data. A recommendation sheet on which the entered data has been crossed out, obliterated, or made illegible with correction fluid or other means is not considered a blank form.

The recommendation sheets can be returned to the local election office by anyone without authorization.

In the event of failure to comply with the obligation to return the forms, the local election commission competent for registering the candidate is obliged to impose a fine ex officio. The amount of the fine is HUF 1,000 for each recommendation sheet not submitted by the deadline. The fine imposed by the election commission shall be borne by the voter intending to run as an independent candidate, or in the case of a candidate nominated by a nominating organization, by the nominating organization nominating the candidate, or in the case of a joint candidate, by all nominating organizations participating in the nomination, jointly and severally.

There is no possibility of exemption for this obligation, and the fine must be paid even if the recommendation sheets were lost or destroyed for reasons beyond the control of the fined candidate or party.

Verification of Recommendations

The recommendations submitted shall be verified by the election office operating alongside the local election commission competent for registering the candidate within 3 days from the submission of the candidacy.

The verification of recommendations only needs to continue until the number of valid recommendations reaches the number required for candidacy.

In addition, if the voter intending to run as a candidate or the nominating organization requests it, the election office performing the verification shall provide information on the result of the verification.

Registration of the Individual List Candidate

If the nomination complies with the legal requirements, the local election commission shall register the individual candidate no later than on the fourth day following the date of nomination.

If the local election commission refuses to register the candidate due to an insufficient number of recommendations, the independent candidate or the nominating organization may request additional recommendation forms by submitting anotherA4form before the deadline for candidate registration. The additional recommendations collected and submitted by the deadline shall be added to the recommendations already submitted.

Rules Regarding the Nomination of a Joint Individual List Candidate

Two or more nominating organizations may nominate a joint individual list candidate.

The recommendation sheet must be requested together by the nominating organizations participating in the nomination of the joint candidate on the A4 form. The rules regarding joint candidates are otherwise the same as the rules for nominating an independent candidate.

Withdrawal of an Individual List Candidate

A candidate is withdrawn if:

• they are removed from the central electoral register before the start of voting,
• they lose their eligibility to be elected,
• the nominating organization nominating the candidate, or all nominating organizations participating in the nomination of a joint candidate, are removed from the register of nominating organizations, candidates, and lists before the start of voting,
• they resign their candidacy in writing by 4:00 PM on the second day before the election - electronically after electronic identification, by submitting a declaration in person or through a proxy to the election office operating alongside the election commission that decided on their registration.

Nomination

In municipalities with a population exceeding 10,000 and in the districts of the capital city – in the event of the termination of the mandate of an individual constituency representative – a candidate in the by-election will be a person who has been recommended by at least 1% of the voters in the given constituency. The number of recommendations required for nomination shall be determined by the head of the local election office on the 66th day before the election, based on the electoral register data of the 67th day before the election.

Recommendation

A candidate can only be recommended on a numbered recommendation sheet issued by the competent local election office (of the place of candidacy). The contact details of the local election offices can be found here.

Requesting Recommendation sheets

A recommendation sheet may be requested after the announcement of the by-election by a voter intending to run as an independent candidate, or by a person authorized to represent a legally registered nominating organization. The A4 form is used for submitting the request, which can be submitted by anyone, without authorization, to the local election office of the place of candidacy.

It is important to note that a recommendation sheet can only be requested for a voter who has the right to vote at the time of submitting the request.

If the sheets are requested for the recommendation of a candidate nominated by a nominating organization, the form must be signed by both the nominating organization and the candidate.

Name

If the candidate has multiple first names, they may request on the A4 form when requesting the recommendation sheets that only one of their first names be included on the recommendation sheets, the ballot paper, and the official election website. They may also request the omission of the "Dr." title, if it is part of their name. Once the recommendation sheets have been issued for the first time, the declaration regarding the display of the name cannot be modified.

Collecting Recommendation sheets

The local election office shall hand over the requested number of recommendation sheets to the requester immediately after the request, but no earlier than the 50th day before the election. Recommendation sheets can still be requested and collected after this date on working days during office hours.

The following are entitled to collect the recommendation sheets:

• the voter intending to run as a candidate,
• the person designated on the A4 form for requesting the sheets,
• the following representatives of the legally registered nominating organization:
• • a) the legal representative(s), i.e., the person(s) registered as the representative(s) of the organization in the court register of civil organizations;
  • b) the person indicated in point 5 of the P6 form;
  • c) a person authorized by the persons under a) and b);
  • d) a person authorized by the persons under a)-c) with a private document of full evidentiary force or a public document.

The election office shall issue a receipt upon the handover of the recommendation sheets. Making copies of the recommendation sheets, even when blank, is strictly prohibited!

Additional new recommendation sheets can be requested by submitting a new A4 form until the deadline for submitting the candidate's nomination, i.e., 4:00 PM on the 34th day before the election.

If the name of the voter intending to run as a candidate or the nominating organization changes after the first issuance of the recommendation sheets, this will not be reflected on the subsequently requested recommendation sheets.

National Minority Candidate

A voter intending to run as a national minority candidate must also declare on the form when requesting the recommendation sheet that they undertake the representation of their nationality and that they speak the language, know the culture and traditions of the national minority community.

The local election office shall check in the register of candidates when the form for requesting the sheet is submitted whether the voter requesting the recommendation sheet and intending to run as a national minority candidate was not a national minority candidate of another nationality in the previous two general elections of local government representatives and mayors, as well as national minority self-government representatives, and the by-elections following them. If the voter intending to run as a candidate was previously a candidate of another nationality, their request for sheets does not meet the legal requirements, and therefore the recommendation sheets cannot be issued to them.

Collecting Recommendations

A voter submits their recommendation on the recommendation sheet, which must be filled in with their name, personal identification number, Hungarian address, and their own handwritten signature. Another person may write the voter's data on the recommendation sheet in the voter's presence, but their own handwritten signature is still an essential condition.

A voter may recommend multiple candidates, but may only support one candidate with one recommendation; any further recommendations are invalid. A recommendation cannot be withdrawn.

Recommendations can be collected anywhere without harassment, except in the following cases:

• At the workplace of the person collecting the recommendations during working hours,
• At the workplace of the voter making the recommendation during working hours,
• While fulfilling work obligations of the person collecting recommendations under an employment or similar relationship,
• While fulfilling the work obligations of the voter making the recommendation under an employment or similar relationship,
• From a member of the Hungarian Armed Forces or a central government employee at their workplace or while fulfilling their duties,
• On public transportation,
• In the offices of state, local, and national minority local government bodies,
• In higher education and public education institutions,
• In healthcare service facilities,
• On private property open to the public without the owner's prior written consent.

Recommendations collected in violation of the recommendation rules are invalid!

It is forbidden to offer or promise any advantage to the voter for giving a recommendation!

The recommendation sheet must also include the name, personal identification number or the number of the recommender's identity card/passport/driving license, and signature of the person collecting the recommendation. It is important for independent candidates and nominating organizations to pay particular attention to ensuring that the collector accurately provides their data on the recommendation sheet. If the collector's data is incomplete or incorrect (e.g., a misspelling of their personal identification number, a discrepancy between their current and birth name, and the latter is provided), it will result in the invalidity of all recommendations on that recommendation sheet.

Furthermore, we draw the attention of all voters intending to run as candidates and nominating organizations to the fact that the National Authority for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (NAIH) will publish a recommendation on its website (www.naih.hu) prior to the election regarding data processing related to elections, which all concerned parties are advised to consider. The NAIH's recommendations can be viewed at the following link: https://www.naih.hu/adatvedelmi-ajanlasok

Nomination of the Single-Member Constituency Representative Candidate

The single-member constituency representative candidate must be nominated by submitting the recommendation sheets to the local election commission competent for registration (of the place of candidacy) no later than 4:00 PM on the 34th day before the election. There is no possibility for the delayed submission of recommendation sheets! At the time of nomination, at least the number of recommendations required for candidacy must be submitted.

The election office will not check the recommendations if the number of recommendations on the submitted recommendation sheets does not reach the number required for candidacy.

In addition to submitting the recommendation sheets, candidates must declare that they will not use foreign funding or assets originating from foreign support in relation to the given election for the purpose of influencing or attempting to influence the will of the voters. There is no mandatory form for the declaration.

Returning the Recommendation sheets

All recommendation sheets must be returned to the local election office by the deadline for submitting the candidacy, i.e., no later than 4:00 PM on the 34th day before the election. A recommendation sheet that does not contain any recommendations must be returned no later than 4:00 PM on the 33rd day before the election. A blank recommendation sheet is one that does not contain any data. A recommendation sheet on which the entered data has been crossed out, obliterated, or made illegible with correction fluid or other means is not considered a blank form.

The recommendation sheets can be returned to the local election office by anyone without authorization.

In the event of failure to comply with the obligation to return the forms, the local election commission competent for registering the candidate is obliged to impose a fine ex officio. The amount of the fine is HUF 1,000 for each recommendation sheet not submitted by the deadline. The fine imposed by the election commission shall be borne by the voter intending to run as an independent candidate, or in the case of a candidate nominated by a nominating organization, by the nominating organization nominating the candidate, or in the case of a joint candidate, by all nominating organizations participating in the nomination, jointly and severally.

There is no possibility of exemption for this obligation, and the fine must be paid even if the recommendation sheets were lost or destroyed for reasons beyond the control of the fined candidate or party.

Verification of Recommendations

The recommendations submitted shall be verified by the election office operating alongside the local election commission competent for registering the candidate within 3 days from the submission of the candidacy.

The verification of recommendations only needs to continue until the number of valid recommendations reaches the number required for candidacy.

In addition, if the voter intending to run as a candidate or the nominating organization requests it, the election office performing the verification shall provide information on the result of the verification.

Registration of the Single-Member Constituency Representative Candidate

If the nomination meets the legal requirements, the local election commission shall register the single-member constituency representative candidate no later than the 4th day following the submission of the nomination.

If the local election commission rejects the registration of the candidate due to an insufficient number of recommendations, the independent candidate or the nominating organization may request additional recommendation sheets by submitting a new A4form until the deadline for submitting the candidacy, i.e., 4:00 PM on the 34th day before the election. The additional recommendations collected and submitted by the deadline must be added to the recommendations submitted earlier.

Rules Regarding the Nomination of a Joint Single-Member Constituency Representative Candidate

Two or more nominating organizations may nominate a joint individual constituency candidate.

The recommendation sheet must be requested together by the nominating organizations participating in the nomination of the joint candidate on the A4 form. The rules regarding joint candidates are otherwise the same as the rules for nominating an independent candidate.

Withdrawal of an Single-Member Constituency Representative Candidate

A candidate is withdrawn if:

• they are removed from the central electoral register before the start of the election,
• they lose their eligibility to be elected,
• the nominating organization nominating the candidate, or all nominating organizations participating in the nomination of a joint candidate, are removed from the register of nominating organizations, candidates, and lists before the start of voting,
• they resign their candidacy in writing by 4:00 PM on the second day before the election - electronically after electronic identification, by submitting a declaration in person or through a delivery proxy to the election office operating alongside the election commission that decided on their registration.

If the representative body of a municipality with a population exceeding 10,000 has been dissolved or has dissolved itself, the local election commission shall set a by-election. In this case, as a result of the by-election, a new representative body and a new mayor will be elected. Similar to general elections, in this case too, voters can only directly vote for the candidate(s) for mayor and the single-member constituency representative candidates; however, depending on the population size, some representatives will obtain mandates from a compensation list.

The rules for establishing a compensation list are the same as those applicable in general elections. Only a nominating organization can establish it, provided that it has nominated candidates in at least two-thirds of the single-member constituencies of the municipality.

No recommendations need to be collected for the compensation list. The list must be submitted to the local election commission no later than 4:00 PM on the 33rd day before the election using theL4 form, along with the SZ4 forms completed by the candidates on the list. The list may contain a maximum of three times as many candidates as the number of mandates that can be obtained from the list. The order of candidates on the list is determined by the nominating organization and cannot be changed after the list is submitted. If a candidate is removed from the list, the next candidate in order on the list takes their place. No new candidates can be added to the submitted list. The nominating organization may withdraw the list or the nomination of a candidate on the list no later than 4:00 PM on the 33rd day before the election. The nominating organization cannot submit a new list in place of a withdrawn list.

The joint declaration regarding a joint list shall be made together by the nominating organizations establishing the joint list.

The candidates on the list must declare that they will not use foreign funding or assets originating from foreign support in relation to the given election for the purpose of influencing or attempting to influence the will of the voters.

If the county council has been dissolved or has disbanded, the competent regional election commission shall call a by-election. Since the dissolution/disbandment terminates the mandate of all representatives, voters shall elect a completely new county council in the by-election.

A by-election must also be set if the number of representatives elected from the county list falls below the quorum necessary for the assembly to function. In this case, however, voters only elect representatives to fill the vacant mandates, as the mandates of the other representatives do not cease.

A county list can be established by a nominating organization legally registered by the regional election commission that has collected the valid recommendations of 0.5% of the voters with the right to vote in the county. For the establishment of a joint list, the valid recommendations of 1% of the voters are required, which cannot be less than 2000 valid recommendations. The number of recommendations required for establishing the list shall be determined by the head of the regional election office on the 66th day before the election, based on the electoral register data of the 67th day before the election. The required number of recommendations shall be made known to the concerned parties by the head of the TEC in the form of a notice/announcement/etc. The number of recommendations shall also be published locally in the usual manner (website, notice board, local newspaper), and candidates and nominating organizations may also request information directly from the regional election office, which may also directly notify known candidates and nominating organizations.

Recommendation

A legally registered nominating organization may request recommendation sheets (A5 form) from the regional election office of the place of list establishment. The recommendation sheets can be collected immediately after the request, but no earlier than the 50th day before the election. After this, recommendation sheets can be requested and collected on working days during office hours.

Submitting the County List

The county list must be submitted to the regional election commission competent for registration (of the place of list establishment) no later than 4:00 PM on the 33rd day before the election by submitting the recommendation sheets along with the L4 and SZ4 forms. The candidates on the list must also declare that they will not use foreign funding or assets originating from foreign support in relation to the given election for the purpose of influencing or attempting to influence the will of the voters.

There is no possibility of exemption for this obligation, and the fine must be paid even if the recommendation sheets were lost or destroyed for reasons beyond the control of the fined candidate or party.

The list may contain a maximum of three times as many candidates as the number of mandates that can be obtained from the list. The order of candidates on the list is determined by the nominating organization and cannot be changed after the list is submitted. If a candidate is removed from the list, the next candidate in order on the list takes their place. No new candidates can be added to the submitted list.

The nominating organization may withdraw the list or the nomination of a candidate on the list no later than 4:00 PM on the 33rd day before the election. The nominating organization cannot submit a new list in place of a withdrawn list.

The joint declaration regarding a joint list shall be made together by the nominating organizations establishing the joint list.

The requested and collected recommendation sheets must also be returned to the regional election office by the list submission deadline (no later than 4:00 PM on the 33rd day before the election). A recommendation sheet that does not contain any recommendations must be returned no later than 4:00 PM on the 32nd day before the election. A blank recommendation sheet is one that does not contain any data. A recommendation sheet on which the entered data has been crossed out, obliterated, or made illegible with correction fluid or other means is not considered a blank form.

The recommendation sheets can be returned to the regional election office by anyone without authorization.

In the event of failure to comply with the obligation to return the forms, the competent regional election commission is obliged to impose a fine ex officio. The amount of the fine is HUF 1,000 for each recommendation sheet not submitted by the deadline. The fine imposed by the election commission shall be borne jointly and severally by the nominating organization establishing the list, or in the case of a joint list, by all nominating organizations participating in the establishment of the list.

There is no possibility of exemption for this obligation, and the fine must be paid even if the recommendation sheets were lost or destroyed for reasons beyond the control of the fined candidate or party.

The regional election commission shall register all candidates and lists that meet the legal requirements no later than the fourth day following their submission.

If the Budapest Metropolitan Assembly has been dissolved or has dissolved itself, the Metropolitan Election Commission shall set a by-election for the Metropolitan Assembly. Simultaneously, the competent local election commissions must also set by-elections for the mayoral positions in all 23 districts of Budapest.

In the by-election of the Budapest Metropolitan Assembly, in the same manner as the rules for general elections, 1 member is elected as a result of the mayoral election, 23 members as a result of the mayoral elections in the metropolitan districts, and an additional 9 members obtain mandates in the assembly from the Budapest compensation list.

The general rules apply to the establishment of the Budapest compensation list. A nominating organization that has nominated mayoral candidates in more than half of the scheduled by-elections for metropolitan district mayors can establish a Budapest compensation list. Only mayoral and chief mayoral candidates can be on the Budapest compensation list, in the order determined by the nominating organization(s).

No recommendations need to be collected for the Budapest compensation list.

The Budapest compensation list must be submitted to the Metropolitan Election Commission no later than 4:00 PM on the 33rd day before the election using the L5 form, to which an SZ4 form must be attached for each candidate row.

When establishing the Budapest compensation list, the nominating organization must consider the number of its interim district mayoral candidates registered by the deadline for the list's registration, excluding any candidate whose registration was rejected by the local election commission.

The nominating organization may withdraw the Budapest compensation list or the nomination of a candidate on the list no later than the deadline for submitting the list, i.e., 4:00 PM on the 33rd day before the election. The L5 form is also used for withdrawal. The nominating organization cannot submit a new list in place of a withdrawn list.