In the by-election of municipal representative of national minority self-government , the entire municipality constitutes a single electoral district, regardless of whether its population is under or exceeds 10,000.

Recommendation Requirements

The number of recommendations required to become a candidate in the municipal national minority self-government representative by-election is determined by the election commission that announces the by-election in its resolution.

Eligibility of Nominating Organizations

Only a national minority organization that has been legally registered as a nominating organization can nominate candidates in the election. Therefore, national minority organizations must re-register themselves to participate in the by-election.

Two or more nominating organizations may nominate a joint candidate.

Candidate Eligibility

A candidate must be a person listed in the specific national minority registry, and they must meet the following conditions:

• The person must be eligible for election as a local government representative or mayor.
• The candidate must not have been listed as another national minority’s candidate in the general elections of 2019 and 2024 for national minority self-government representatives, as well as in subsequent by-elections.

Declaration of National Minority Representation

A person wishing to run as a candidate must declare on the A6 form for requesting recommendation sheets that they accept the representation of the national minority and that they speak the language of the national minority community and are familiar with its culture and traditions.

Recommendation

Candidates for municipal national minority self-government representatives may only be nominated on a numbered recommendation sheet issued by the competent local election office (at the place of departure). The contact details of the local electoral offices can be found here.

Requesting Recommendation Sheets

A recommendation sheet may be requested by a legally registered national minority organization acting as the nominating organization, through a person authorized to represent it, using the A6 form. The A6 form may be submitted by anyone, without authorization, at the election office of the place of candidacy.

It is important that recommendation sheets can only be requested for voters who have the right to vote, as defined above, at the time of the request.

Name

If a candidate has multiple first names, they may request on the A6 form that only one first name appears on the recommendation sheets, ballot papers, and official election website. Additionally, they can request the removal of the title "Dr." if it forms part of their name.

The local election office will provide the requested number of recommendation sheets to the applicant no earlier than the 50th day before the election.

Thereafter, recommendation sheets can be requested and received during business hours on working days.

The following individuals are authorized to receive endorsement sheets:

1, The voter who intends to run as a candidate.

2, The person designated on the A6 form as the recipient of the recommendation sheets.

3, A representative of the legally registered nominating organization, including:

a) the legal representative of the civil organization according to the court register,

b) a person authorized by the legal representative of the organization to make declarations on behalf of the nominating organization via the P4 form,

c) a person authorized by the individuals mentioned in points a and b,

d) a person authorized by any of the individuals mentioned in points a-c through a notarized private or public document.

The election office will issue a receipt for the recommendation sheets. It is strictly prohibited to make copies of the recommendation sheets, even if they are not filled out.

Additional recommendation sheets can be requested by submitting a new A6form until the deadline for submitting the candidate announcement, i.e., by 16:00 on the 34th day before the election.

Name

Name Use If, after the initial issuance of the recommendation sheets, the name of the voter intending to run as a candidate or the name of the nominating organization changes, it will not be reflected on the additional requested recommendation sheets. The candidate and nominating organization will be listed on all recommendation sheets and the ballot papers with the name as it appears on the first set of issued recommendation sheets, even if the candidate’s surname changes due to marriage or another reason before the election day.

Data Provision for Eligible Voters

At the time of issuing the recommendation sheets, the local election office will provide the nominating organization with the names, addresses, ages, and genders of voters eligible to provide recommendations in the municipality, free of charge. This database is complete, as the restriction on data release in Section 89(1) of the Electoral Act does not apply to this data provision. Therefore, this information can only be used for collecting recommendations, and its use for any other purpose, copying, or transfer to third parties is strictly prohibited.

The nominating organization must destroy the received data by 16:00 on the election day, and a report on the destruction must be created. The report must be submitted to the local election office from which the data was received by 16:00 on the 3rd day following the election. (The destruction report can also be submitted in signed, scanned form by the deadline.)

In addition to the above, the nominating organization can request the registry data up to two more times, on the 38th and 13th days before the election, based on a written request. A template for the request form can be found here. These data will no longer include the names, addresses, ages, and genders of voters who have requested that their data not be disclosed, and may only be used for direct political campaign purposes.

Collection of Recommendations

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 these rules are invalid!

It is prohibited to offer or promise any advantage in exchange for a recommendation!

The recommendation sheet must include the name, personal identifier, or the identification number of the ID card/passport/driving license, as well as the signature of the person collecting recommendations. It is important for nominating organizations to pay special attention to ensuring that the person collecting recommendations accurately provides their details. If the collector’s information is incomplete or incorrect (e.g., misspelled personal identifier, incorrect name due to marriage), it makes all recommendations on the sheet invalid.

Additionally, all voters wishing to run for office and nominating organizations should refer to the recommendations provided by the National Authority for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (NAIH) regarding election-related data processing, which is available on their website (www.naih.hu). The NAIH's recommendations can be viewed here: https://www.naih.hu/adatvedelmi-ajanlasok.

Nomination of Candidates for Municipal National Minority Self-Government Representatives

Candidates for municipal national minority self-government representatives must be registered with the local election commission responsible for registration by submitting their recommendation sheets by 4 p.m. on the34th day prior to the election at the latest. There is no separate candidate registration form.

In addition to submitting the recommendation sheets, candidates must declare that they will not use foreign funding or assets derived from such funding for the purpose of influencing or attempting to influence the will of voters in the election in question.

There is no mandatory form for the declaration, but a sample document has been posted on the valasztas.hu website to facilitate the exercise of this right.

It is not possible to submit recommendations in stages!At the time of registration, at least as many recommendations must be submitted as are required for the candidate to be nominated.

Submission of Recommendation Sheets

All issued recommendation sheets must be returned by 16:00 on the 34th day before the election to the local election office. Recommendation sheets without any recommendations must be returned by 16:00 on the 33rd day before the election. A blank recommendation sheet is one that contains no data. A sheet where data is crossed out or illegible due to corrections is not considered a blank sheet.

Recommendation sheets can be handed in by anyone, without the need for authorization, to the local election office.

Failure to comply with the obligation to return the recommendation sheets will result in a fine imposed by the local election commission. The fine is 1000 HUF per missing recommendation sheet. The fine is jointly imposed on the nominating organization of the candidate or all nominating organizations involved in the nomination of a joint candidate.

Verification of Recommendations

The local election office, which works alongside the local election commission, will verify the submitted recommendation within 3 days.

The representative of the nominating organization may be present during the verification, but cannot disrupt the process.

Verification will continue until the number of valid recommendations reaches the required threshold for candidacy. If the candidate or nominating organization requests, the election office will provide information on the results of the verification.

Registration of Municipal National Minority Self-Government Representative Candidates

If the candidate nomination meets the legal requirements, the candidate will be registered by the local election commission no later than the 4th day after the submission.

If the registration is rejected due to insufficient recommendations, the nominating organization can request additional recommendation sheets until 4PM on the 34th day before the election, by submitting a new A6 form. Additional recommendation collected and submitted on time will be added to the previously submitted recommendations.

Rules for Joint Municipal National Minority Self-Government Representative Candidacy

Two or more nominating organizations may also nominate a joint candidate.

The recommendation sheet must be requested together by the nominating organizations participating in the nomination of the joint candidate using the A6 form, and the joint candidate must be registered together. Otherwise, the rules for nominating a joint candidate are the same as those for nominating an independent candidate.

Withdrawal of Municipal National Minority Self-Government Representative Candidates

A candidate is disqualified if:

• They are deleted from the central electoral register before the start of the election,
• They lose their eligibility to stand for election,
• The nominating organization or any organization involved in the joint candidacy is deleted from the register before the election starts,
• The candidate submits a written withdrawal statement by 4PM on the second day before the election, either electronically or in person to the election office responsible for registration.

In the by-election for regional national minority self-government representatives, the entire county or capital city constitutes a single electoral district.

Only those national minority organizations that fulfilled the conditions for drawing up lists in the 2024 general regional national minority self-government elections may participate in the by-election (i.e., they may be nominating organizations and are eligible to draw up lists).

In the by-election for regional national minority self-government representatives, a national minority organization may submit a list if:

• It nominated candidates in at least 10% of the municipalities in the 2024 general national minority election and collected the necessary number of recommendations to create a list.
• Its regional list was registered by the regional election commission during the 2024 general national minority election.
• It is registered by the regional election commission as a nominating organization for the by-election.

No recommendations need to be collected in the regional national minority self-government by-election. After the nominating organization is registered, the next step is the submission of the list.

Submission of the Regional National Minority List

The regional national minority list must be submitted no later than 33 days before the election, by 4:00 PM, to the regional election commission responsible for registration; in the capital, to the Budapest Election Commission.

Since no recommendations need to be collected, the only form required for submitting the list is the L5form, which must be accompanied by the SZ5 form completed by each candidate.

The nominating organization may withdraw the list or the nomination of a candidate appearing on the list no later than the last day of the deadline for submitting the list, i.e., by 4:00 p.m. on the33rd day prior to the election. The nominating organization may not submit a new list to replace the withdrawn list.

Candidates on the list may attach their photograph to the SZ5 form and request on this form that the official website of the elections and the ballot paper do not include their surname or the title "Dr.", and may also request that their name be indicated in their national language.

Registration of the Regional National Minority List

If the submission meets the legal requirements, the regional national minority list will be registered by the regional election commission, or by the Budapest Election Commission for lists from the capital, no later than 4 days after the submission.

The list will be registered without the candidate if the candidate:

• Is not eligible (e.g., not listed in the national minority register).
• Was a candidate of another nationality in the 2019 or 2024 general elections, or in subsequent by-elections.

Withdrawal of the Regional National Minority List

A regional national minority list will be withdrawn if:

• The nominating organization withdraws the list by 4:00 PM on the 33rd day before the election.
• All candidates on the list are excluded before the start of the election.
• The list or the nominating organization is removed from the register of nominating organizations, candidates, and lists by the election commission.

Data Provision for National Minority Voters

In addition to the above, the nominating organization can request the voter registry data up to two more times, on the 38th and 13th days before the election, based on a written request.

The organization must destroy the data received no later than 4:00 PM on election day. A report must be created about the destruction, and the report must be submitted to the regional election office from which the data was received no later than 3 days after the election by 4:00 PM. (The destruction report can be submitted in signed, scanned form by the deadline.)

We remind all nominating organizations that the National Authority for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (NAIH) has published recommendations regarding data management related to elections on its website (www.naih.hu). Compliance with these recommendations is advisable for all parties involved. The NAIH’s recommendations can be viewed at the following link: https://www.naih.hu/adatvedelmi-ajanlasok.

In the by-election for national minority local government representatives on a country basis, the entire country constitutes a single electoral district.

Only those national minority organizations may participate in the by-election (i.e., act as nominating organizations and submit lists) which met the requirements for drawing up a list for the 2024 general national minority local government election.

In the by- election for national minority local government representatives, a national minority organization may submit a list if:

• Its national list was registered by the National Election Commission in the 2024 general national minority election.
• It is registered by the National Election Commission as a nominating organization for the by-election.

No recommendations need to be collected in the national minority local government by-election. After the nominating organization is registered, the next step is the submission of the list.

Submission of the National Minority List on a country basis

The national minority list on a country basis must be submitted no later than 33 days before the election, by 4:00 PM, to the National Election Commission.

Since no recommendations need to be collected, the only form required for submitting the list is the L5form, which must be accompanied by the SZ5 form completed by each candidate.

The nominating organization determines the order of the candidates on the list, and once the list is submitted, the order cannot be modified. The national list can contain up to three times the number of candidates as the number of representatives to be elected.

The nominating organization can withdraw the list or the nomination of a candidate no later than the last day of the submission deadline, i.e., 33 days before the election, by 4:00 PM. withdrawn, a new list cannot be submitted by the nominating organization.

The candidates on the list may attach a photograph to the SZ5 form, and they may request that their first name or the "Dr." title not appear on the official election website or on the ballot. They may also request that their name be displayed in the national minority language.

Registration of the National Minority List on a country basis

If the submission meets the legal requirements, the national minority list on a country basis will be registered by the National Election Commission no later than 4 days after the submission.

The National Election Commission will register the list without the candidate if the candidate:

• Is not eligible (e.g., not listed in the national minority register).
• Was a candidate of another nationality in the 2019 or 2024 general elections, or in subsequent by-elections.

Withdrawal of the National Minority List on a country basis

A national minority list on a country basis will be withdrawn if:

• The nominating organization withdraws the list by 4:00 PM on the 33rd day before the election.
• All candidates on the list are excluded before the start of the election.
• The list or the nominating organization is removed from the register of nominating organizations, candidates, and lists by the election commission.

Data Provision for National Minority Voters

In addition to the above, the nominating organization can request the voter register data up to two more times, on the 38th and 13th days before the election, based on a written request.

The organization must destroy the data received no later than 4:00 PM on election day. A report must be created about the destruction, and the report must be submitted to the National Election Office from which the data was received no later than 3 days after the election by 4:00 PM. (The destruction report can be submitted in signed, scanned form by the deadline.)

We remind all nominating organizations that the National Authority for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (NAIH) has published recommendations regarding data management related to elections on its website (www.naih.hu). Compliance with these recommendations is advisable for all parties involved. The NAIH’s recommendations can be viewed at the following link: https://www.naih.hu/adatvedelmi-ajanlasok.