European Parliamentary Elections
Elections of national minorities
The Fundamental Law of Hungary states that national minority groups living in Hungary are part of the Hungarian political community and are constituent parts of the State. National minorities living in Hungary have the right to use their native language, to use their own language for individual and community names, to cultivate their own culture, and to receive education in their native language.
National minorities living in Hungary may establish local and national self-governments. Their rights, including the method of electing self-governments, are regulated by cardinal law. Act CLXXIX of 2011 on the Rights of National Minorities contains the substantive legal rules governing elections, defines the elements of the electoral system, the conditions for nominating candidates and submitting lists, and the rules for establishing the results.
A national minority group is any group of people who have been living in Hungary for at least a century, who are numerically in the minority among the population of the state, distinguished from the rest of the population by its own language, culture, and traditions, and which demonstrates a sense of belonging aimed at preserving these characteristics and expressing and protecting the interests of their historically formed countries.
There are currently thirteen recognized indigenous national minority groups in Hungary: Bulgarian, Greek, Croatian, Polish, German, Armenian, Roma, Romanian, Ruthenian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian, and Ukrainian.
Right to vote
The conditions for active (voting) and passive (eligibility) voting rights in national minority self-government elections are as follows:
Right to vote:
- the voter is registered in the register of that national minority,
- belongs to one of the 13 national minorities, and
- declares their membership of that national minority in accordance with the law.
Right to be elected:
- has the right to vote,
- is eligible for election as a self-government representative or mayor,
- there were no other candidates of that national minority in the previous two general elections for national minority self-government representatives or in the subsequent by-elections, and
- they declare that they undertake to represent the national minority and that they speak the language of the national minority and are familiar with its traditions and culture.
Further information on candidates' participation in minority self-government elections can be found here.
A voter may belong to only one national minority group in terms of both active and passive voting rights.
Further rules on participation in national minority self-government elections can be found here.
The system for electing representatives to national minority self-governments
National minority self-governments represent the interests of national minority voters at three levels: local, regional, and national. The rules governing the scheduling of national minority self-government elections, nominations, and representatives differ at each of the three levels. National minority self-government elections are held on the same day as local government elections.
Election of local national minority self-government representatives
Elections for local (village, town, or capital district) national minority self-governments shall be held in those municipalities and for those national minorities, where
- based on the data from the most recent census in 2022, at least 25 people declared themselves to belong to the given national minority [the questions in the personal questionnaire that directly express national identity (12.1. Which national minority do you feel you belong to? 12.2. Do you belong to another national minority besides the previous one?)],
- the self-government of the given national minority was established following the 2019 general election of national minority representatives, and the number of persons belonging to the given national minority – according to the data provided in response to the questions on belonging to a given national minority in the 2022 census, aggregated by national minority – reaches 20; or
- a national minority public education institution, a national minority vocational training institution, or a public education institution participating in national minority education and training was operating on December 1, 2023.
In the election of representatives to the local national minority self-government, the municipality constitutes a single electoral district. The number of members of the local national minority self-government is 3 or 5 persons. There shall be three representatives if the number of voters listed in the national minority register is less than one hundred on the date of the national minority election in the municipality, and five if the number of voters is at least one hundred.
The number of recommendations required for the list is determined by the National Election Commission (NEC). If there are not enough candidates to fill the number of representatives to be elected (i.e., at least 3 or 5), the election is cancelled.
The election is held according to the rules of a "single-mandate" election, and a voter may vote for as many candidates as the number of representatives to be elected (i.e., a maximum of 3 or 5).
The candidates who receive the most valid votes according to the number of representatives to be elected shall become representatives. In the event of a tie, a lots must be drawn to determine which of the candidates with an equal number of votes shall obtain a mandate.
If fewer candidates than the number of representatives to be elected receive at least one valid vote, the election shall be invalid.
Election of regional national minority self-government representatives
General elections for regional (county and capital) national minority self-government representatives shall be held if the number of local national minority self-government elections held at capital city or county level is at least ten. In the election of national minority representatives in the capital, the capital shall constitute one electoral district, and in the election of national minority representatives in the county, the county shall constitute one electoral district.
The number of members of the regional national minority self-government shall be 7. The body of the regional national minority self-government shall be the general assembly.
The condition for submitting a list is that the national minority organization must nominate at least one candidate in at least 10% of the local national minority self-government elections held in the county or the capital and collect the recommendations of at least two percent of the voters. The number of recommendations required for submitting a list is determined by the NEC.
Votes for regional lists may be cast on a separate ballot paper, with national minority voters choosing one of the lists appearing on the ballot paper. The lists are allocated seats in proportion to the votes cast.
The following shall not be eligible for a mandate:
a) the regional list of the national minority nominating organization if it has not received at least five percent of the valid votes cast for regional lists, or
b) the joint regional list if it has not received at least ten percent of the valid votes cast for regional lists, or fifteen percent in the case of a joint regional list nominated by more than two national minority nominating organizations.
If there are fewer candidates on the list than the number of seats obtained by the list, the unallocated seat shall remain vacant.
The election shall be invalid if the number of seats allocated does not reach more than half of the number of seats.
Election of national minority self-government representatives at country level
National elections must be held, there are no conditions attached. For the election of national minority self-government representatives, the entire country constitutes a single electoral district.
The number of representatives who can be elected varies according to the number of national minority voters (listed in the register), as follows
- fifteen persons if the number of voters listed in the national minority register on the date of the election is not more than five thousand,
- twenty-three persons if the number of voters listed in the national minority register on the date of the election is more than five thousand,
- thirty-one persons if the number of voters listed in the national minority register on the date of the election is more than ten thousand,
- thirty-nine persons if the number of voters listed in the national minority register on the date of the election is more than twenty-five thousand,
- forty-seven persons if the number of voters listed in the national minority register on the date of the election is more than fifty thousand.
The condition for list submission is that the national minority organization must nominate at least one candidate in at least 10% of the local national minority self-government elections held in the country and collect the recommendations of at least two percent of the voters. The number of recommendations required for list submission is determined by the NEC.
Votes for national lists may be cast on a separate ballot paper, with national minority voters choosing one of the lists appearing on the ballot paper. The lists are allocated seats in proportion to the votes cast.
The following shall not be entitled to a mandate:
a) the national list of the national minority nominating organization if it has not received at least five percent of the valid votes cast for national lists, or
b) the joint national list if it has not received at least ten percent of the valid votes cast for national lists, or fifteen percent in the case of a joint national list nominated by more than two national minority nominating organizations.
If the list receives more mandates than the number of persons on the list, the mandate shall remain unfilled.