Election of Municipal Nationality Local Government Representatives:

In the election for municipal national minority local government representatives, the entire municipality constitutes a single constituency, regardless of whether the population is under or exceeds 10,000 inhabitants.

Nomination of Municipal Nationality Local Government Representative:

To nominate a candidate for the municipal national minority local government representative election, the recommendation of at least five percent of the voters listed in the national minority voter register on the day the election is called is required, but at least five voters' recommendations are necessary. The number of valid recommendations required for candidacy in each municipality is included in the annex of the decision on the election date, as per the 8/2024. NVB decision, broken down by nationality.

Eligibility for Candidacy:

Only a national minority organization that is duly registered as a nominating organization by a territorial election committee or the National Election Commission can nominate a candidate. Two or more nominating organizations may nominate a joint candidate. A person may only accept a nomination in one municipality.

A person may only be a candidate if they are listed in the national minority voter register and:

• They are eligible to vote in the local government elections, and
• They were not a candidate from another nationality in the last two general elections for national minority representatives (2014 and 2019), nor in any subsequent by-elections.

The person intending to run for candidacy must declare on the A6 form (used to request a recommendation sheet) that they represent the nationality, speak the language of the national minority, and are familiar with its culture and traditions.

Recommendations for Municipal Nationality Local Government Representative Candidates:

Recommendations for candidates must be made on a numbered recommendation sheet issued by the local election office with jurisdiction over the place of nomination.

Requesting and Receiving Recommendation Sheets:

Recommendation sheets can be requested by a national minority organization registered as a nominating organization. The request must be made through an authorized representative on the A6 form. Anyone can submit the form to the election office for the municipality where the nomination will occur without a power of attorney.

Importantly, recommendation sheets may only be requested for voters who possess voting rights as defined by the law at the time of the request.

The local election office will provide the requested recommendation sheets no earlier than the 50th day before the election. Subsequent requests for additional sheets can be made on business days during office hours.

Each recommendation sheet includes the election type, the name of the person intending to run, the name of the nominating organization, the constituency, and the nationality. For joint candidates, the names of all nominating organizations will also be listed.

The local election office will issue a receipt for the transfer of the recommendation sheets. Copying of the sheets, even if they are still blank, is strictly prohibited.

Changes to Candidate's or Nominating Organization’s Name:

If the name of the person intending to run or the nominating organization changes after the initial issuance of recommendation sheets, the changes will not appear on any additional recommendation sheets. The original name on the first issued recommendation sheet will remain on all documents, including the ballot, even if the candidate’s name changes due to marriage or another reason.

Data Provision for Eligible Voters:

Along with the recommendation sheets, the local election office must provide the nominating organization with the names, addresses, ages, and genders of voters eligible to provide recommendations for the candidate. This data must only be used for gathering recommendations. Any unauthorized use, copying, or transfer of this data is strictly prohibited.

The nominating organization must destroy the provided data by 16:00 on the election day, and a protocol must be recorded about the destruction. The protocol must be submitted to the local election office by 16:00 on the third day after the election.

Additionally, the nominating organization can request updated data up to two more times—on the 38th and 13th days before the election. This data no longer includes the names, addresses, ages, and genders of voters who have opted out of data release and may only be used for direct political campaign purposes. More information here.

Penalties for Data Misuse:

Failure to properly handle the data, including unauthorized use or failure to destroy it and submit the destruction protocol, may result in fines.

Data Protection Recommendations:

The National Authority for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (NAIH) will publish recommendations regarding the handling of personal data in elections on their website (www.naih.hu). It is important for all involved to consider these recommendations.

https://www.naih.hu/adatvedelmi-ajanlasok

Collection of Endorsements

Voters listed in the national minority register, who have a residence in the municipality, may submit their endorsement on an endorsement sheet. This sheet must be signed by the voter, with their name, personal identification number, and Hungarian address. While another person may write the voter’s details on the endorsement sheet in the presence of the voter, the voter's signature is still a mandatory requirement.

A voter can endorse multiple national minority candidates but can only support one candidate with a single endorsement.

Endorsements can be collected anywhere without harassing citizens, except in the following cases:

• At the workplace during working hours or while fulfilling duties arising from employment or other work-related obligations,
• From a person in a service relationship with the Hungarian Armed Forces or central government agencies while performing service tasks,
• On public transport,
• In the official offices of state, local, and national minority government bodies,
• In higher education and public education institutions,
• In health service facilities, and
• On private property open to the public without prior written consent from the owner.

Endorsements collected in violation of these rules are invalid!

It is prohibited to offer or promise an advantage in exchange for endorsements!

The endorsement sheet must also include the name, personal identification number, and the identification number and signature of the person collecting the endorsements. It is crucial for nominating organizations to ensure that the details are accurately recorded. If the person collecting endorsements records incorrect or incomplete information (e.g. a misspelled personal identification number or using the wrong name), all endorsements on the sheet will be invalid.

Additionally, all candidates and nominating organizations should be aware that the National Authority for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (NAIH) publishes recommendations on data handling related to elections on their website (www.naih.hu). All parties involved should consider these recommendations. The NAIH’s recommendations can be viewed at: link to NAIH recommendations.

Submission of National Minority Municipal Representative Candidate

The nomination of a national minority municipal representative candidate must be submitted to the local election commission by 16:00 on the 34th day before the election, along with the endorsement sheets.

If the number of endorsements submitted does not meet the required amount for candidacy, the election office will skip verification.

At the time of submission, the candidate must also declare in writing, in a separate document, that they will not use foreign support, domestic legal entities or organizations without legal personality, anonymous donations, or assets obtained from these sources to influence voter intentions during the election.

Submission of Endorsement Sheets

All issued endorsement sheets must be returned to the local election office by 16:00 on the 34th day before the election. Any endorsement sheet without an endorsement must be returned by 16:00 on the 33rd day before the election.

Endorsement sheets that are blank but contain data that is crossed out or rendered unreadable by correction fluid or other means are not considered empty.

Anyone can submit the endorsement sheets to the local election office without a power of attorney.

Failure to submit the sheets on time will result in a fine. The fine is 1,000 HUF for each sheet not submitted by the deadline. This fine applies to the nominating organization of the candidate, and in the case of a joint candidate, to all organizations that participated in the nomination.

Verification of Endorsements

Endorsements will be checked by the local election office within 3 days. The representative of the nominating organization may be present during the verification, but they may not interfere with the process.

The verification will continue until the required number of valid endorsements is reached.

Registration of the National Minority Municipal Representative Candidate

If the nomination complies with legal requirements, the local election commission will register the candidate no later than the 4th day after the submission.

If the registration is rejected due to insufficient endorsements, the nominating organization can request additional endorsement sheets until 16:00 on the 34th day before the election.

Rules for Nominating a Joint Candidate

Two or more nominating organizations may nominate a joint candidate.

Endorsement sheets for a joint candidate must be requested jointly by the participating organizations on the A6 form, as prescribed by law. Otherwise, the rules for joint candidate nomination are the same as for an independent candidate.

Removal of National Minority Municipal Representative Candidate

A candidate is removed from the race if:

• They are removed from the central registry before the election,
• They lose the right to be elected,
• The nominating organization or all organizations involved in nominating the joint candidate are removed from the registry before the election,
• The candidate withdraws their nomination in writing by the second day before the election, before 16:00.

Election of Minority Self-Government Representatives at Regional Level

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

Only minority organizations that have been lawfully registered as nominating organizations may participate in the nomination of a regional minority list.

One of the conditions for nominating a regional minority list is collecting a specific number of recommendations, as determined in the annex to the decision of the National Election Commission on calling the election.

Another condition is that the nominating organization must nominate candidates independently in at least 10% of the local minority self-government elections called in the respective county or in the capital.

Two or more nominating organizations may jointly nominate a regional list if they also have jointly nominated local individual candidates.

A nominating organization may participate in nominating only one list—either independently or jointly—in each county.

Recommendation

A regional minority list may only be supported by recommendations collected using numbered recommendation sheets issued by the competent regional election office, or in the capital, by the Budapest Election Office. Contact details of the regional election offices can be found [here].

Requesting Recommendation Sheets

Only a nominating organization that has been officially registered by a regional election commission or the National Election Commission may request recommendation sheets, through an authorized representative. The request must be submitted using the official form labeled A7, which may be filed by anyone without a power of attorney at the competent election office.

Receiving Recommendation Sheets

The regional election office (or in the capital, the Budapest Election Office) may hand over the requested number of recommendation sheets starting from the 50th day before the election. From then on, recommendation sheets may be requested and received during working hours on business days.

The election office issues a receipt for the handover of the sheets. Copying the sheets is strictly prohibited, even before they are filled out.

Until the deadline for submitting the list (16:00 on the 33rd day before the vote), additional recommendation sheets may be requested by submitting a new request form.

Data Provision on Eligible Minority Voters

When issuing the recommendation sheets, the regional election office will also provide the nominating organization with the name, address, age, and gender of voters registered as minority voters in the region or the capital. This data includes all voters entitled to recommend the regional list, as the data release prohibition under Section 89 (1) of the Electoral Procedure Act does not apply.

These data may only be used for collecting recommendations. Any other use, copying, or sharing with third parties is strictly forbidden.

The nominating organization must destroy these data by 16:00 on election day at the latest, and record the destruction in a report. This report must be submitted to the same election office by 16:00 on the third day after the vote.

In addition, the organization may request access to the voter register data on two more occasions—on the 38th and 13th days before the election. These data do not include voters who have prohibited the release of their personal information. These data may only be used for direct political campaigning.

A detailed guide to data provision is available [here].

All candidates and nominating organizations are advised to consult the recommendations published by the National Authority for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (NAIH) on election-related data processing. These recommendations can be found at: https://www.naih.hu/adatvedelmi-ajanlasok

Collecting Recommendations

Only voters listed in the minority register with a residence in the relevant county or the capital may give a recommendation using the official recommendation sheet. Voters must provide their full name, personal ID number, Hungarian address, and handwritten signature. Their personal data may be filled in by another person in their presence, but the voter's signature must be provided by the voter themselves.

Voters may recommend more than one list but may only support each list with a single recommendation.

Recommendations may be collected anywhere without harassing citizens, except:

• at the workplace of the recommender or the collector during working hours or while performing job duties,
• from individuals in service at the Hungarian Defence Forces or central government bodies while on duty or at their place of service,
• on public transport,
• in the offices of state, local or minority self-government authorities,
• in public or higher education institutions,
• in healthcare institutions,
• or on private property open to the public without the prior written consent of the owner.

Recommendations collected in violation of these rules are invalid.

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

The name, personal ID number, or official document number (ID card, passport, or driver’s license) and signature of the person collecting the recommendations must be provided on each sheet. Nominating organizations must ensure the accuracy of these details, as any mistake—such as an incorrect ID number or mismatched birth and used names—will invalidate all recommendations on that sheet.

Submitting the Regional Minority List

The regional minority list must be submitted by 16:00 on the 33rd day before the vote to the competent regional election commission or, in the capital, to the Budapest Election Commission, along with the recommendation sheets.

If the number of submitted recommendations does not meet the required minimum, the election office will not verify them.

Submission must be made using the official L5 form. For each candidate listed, the nominating organization must attach the SZ5 form, which serves as the candidate's personal data sheet.

On the SZ5 form, each candidate must declare that they will not use any foreign or domestic institutional support, anonymous donations, or assets derived from such sources for the purpose of influencing voter will in connection with the election.

The recommendations supporting the list must be submitted together with the list.

The order of candidates on the list is determined by the nominating organization and cannot be changed after submission. A maximum of three times as many candidates may be listed as there are seats available.

The nominating organization may withdraw the list or the nomination of a candidate on the list by 16:00 on the 33rd day before the vote using the same L5 form. No new list may be submitted to replace a withdrawn one.

For the purpose of determining eligibility for submitting a list, the number of local minority self-government candidates registered up to the registration of the list is considered—excluding those whose registration was rejected by the local election committee.

A nominating organization may participate in nominating only one list—either independently or jointly—in each county.

Name Usage

If a candidate on a regional list also accepted a local minority nomination, the name used on the regional list must match the one declared on the A7 form for the local nomination.

Submission of Recommendation Sheets
All issued recommendation sheets must be returned to the regional election office — or to the Budapest Election Office in the capital — by the deadline for submitting the list, that is, by 4:00 p.m. on the 33rd day before the election. Recommendation sheets that do not contain any recommendations must be returned no later than 4:00 p.m. on the 32nd day before the election. A so-called empty recommendation sheet is one that contains no data whatsoever. A recommendation sheet on which the data has been crossed out, blacked out, made unreadable with correction fluid or by any other means is not considered empty.

Anyone may return the sheets to the local election office without authorization.

If this obligation to return the sheets is not fulfilled, the regional election commission competent to register the list shall, ex officio, impose a fine. 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 that nominated the candidate or, in the case of a joint candidate, by all nominating organizations involved in the nomination.

There is no exemption from this obligation — the fine must be paid even if the recommendation sheets were lost or destroyed due to reasons beyond the control of the nominating organization (e.g. if they were stolen).

However, no fine shall be imposed for recommendation sheets submitted after the deadline but not containing any recommendations, if submitted no later than the day following the last day available for candidate nomination.

Verification of Recommendations
The recommendations submitted will be verified within 3 days by the election office operating alongside the regional election commission competent to register the list.

A representative of the organization submitting the list may be present during the verification, but may not interfere with the process.

Verification must be conducted only until the number of valid recommendations required for list registration is reached.

Beyond that point, if requested by the nominating organization, the election office performing the verification shall provide information on the results of the verification.

Registration of the Regional National Minority List
If the submission meets all legal requirements, the regional national minority list shall be registered by the regional election commission — in the capital, by the Budapest Election Commission — no later than the 4th day after submission.

The regional election commission shall register the list without the candidate if the candidate:

• is not eligible (e.g. is not included in the national minority register),
• has accepted another nomination incompatible with the regional list nomination (e.g. is already on a regional list in another county),
• was a candidate for a different national minority in the general elections for national minority self-government representatives in 2014 and 2019 or in any subsequent by-elections.

Rules for Submitting a Joint Regional List
Two or more national minority organizations may submit a joint list based on joint individual candidates — with the same organizations participating.

In this case, the recommendation sheets must be jointly requested by the nominating organizations participating in the joint list using the legally designated A7 form, and the joint list must be jointly submitted using the legally designated L5 form.

Legal declarations related to the joint regional national minority list must be made jointly by the authorized representatives of the organizations submitting the joint list. All other rules are the same as those that apply to individual list submissions.

Disqualification of a Regional National Minority List
A regional national minority list shall be disqualified if:

• the nominating organization(s) withdraws the list by 4:00 p.m. on the 33rd day before the election,
• all candidates on the list are disqualified before the start of voting,
• the nominating organization or the list is removed from the register of nominating organizations, candidates, and lists by the election office.

The regional election office shall remove a regional national minority list from the register if the number of national minority municipal candidates — both those definitively registered and those still under review — does not reach ten percent of the total number of national minority municipal representatives to be elected in the county/capital.

Election of National Minority Self-Government Representatives

In the election of national minority self-government representatives, the entire territory of Hungary constitutes a single electoral district.

Only a national minority organization that has been officially registered as a nominating organization may participate in the nomination of a national minority list.

To nominate a national list, it is also required to collect a certain number of recommendations as specified in the annex to the decision of the National Election Commission (NEC) on calling the election. For the 2024 elections, this is defined in the annex to NEC decision no. 8/2024.

In addition to collecting the required number of recommendations, a national minority organization may nominate a list only if it has independently nominated a candidate in at least ten percent of the local minority self-government elections and has collected the recommendations of at least two percent of voters.
In the absence of any announced local minority self-government election, any national minority organization may nominate a list.

Two or more national minority organizations may nominate a joint list based on joint individual candidates, provided the same organizations are involved.

A nominating organization may participate in only one national list nomination, either independently or jointly.

Recommendation

National minority lists can only be recommended using a recommendation sheet issued and numbered by the National Election Office (NEO).

Requesting Recommendation Sheets

Recommendation sheets may only be requested by a nominating organization officially registered by a regional election commission or the NEC, through a person authorized to represent it.
Requests must be submitted using the form labeled A7 as prescribed by law, which may be submitted by anyone, even without authorization, at the National Election Office.

Receiving Recommendation Sheets

The National Election Office shall issue the requested quantity of recommendation sheets no earlier than the 50th day before the election.
Following this, recommendation sheets can be requested and received during office hours on working days.

Each recommendation sheet includes the type of election, the name of the nominating organization, the electoral district, and the name of the national minority. In the case of a joint list, the NEO will list the names of all nominating organizations involved.

The NEO issues a receipt upon delivery of the recommendation sheets.
It is strictly prohibited to make copies of the recommendation sheets, even if they are not yet filled out!

Additional recommendation sheets may be requested until the deadline for list nomination, which is 4:00 PM on the 33rd day before the election, using a new A7 form as prescribed by law.

Data Provision on Eligible Minority Voters

At the time of delivering the recommendation sheets, the NEO also provides the nominating organization with the name, address, age, and gender of all voters listed in the minority electoral register free of charge.
This data set includes all national minority voters eligible to recommend a national list, as the data disclosure restriction under Section 89 (1) of the Electoral Procedure Act does not apply here.
Therefore, this data may only be used for collecting recommendations. Any other use, copying, or transfer to third parties is strictly prohibited.

The nominating organization must destroy the data it received by 4:00 PM on election day at the latest. A record of destruction must be prepared, and the document must be submitted to the NEO by 4:00 PM on the third day after the election.

Additionally, the nominating organization may access the register data free of charge on two further occasions: on the 38th and the 13th days before the election, upon written request.
These later data sets do not include the data of voters who prohibited the release of their information. These data may only be used for direct political campaigning.
Detailed information on this data provision is available [here].

All candidates and nominating organizations are also advised to consider the recommendations of the National Authority for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (NAIH), which publishes guidelines on election-related data processing on its website (www.naih.hu).
The NAIH’s recommendations can be viewed at the following link: https://www.naih.hu/adatvedelmi-ajanlasok

Collecting Recommendations

A voter listed in the minority electoral register with a residence in Hungary may give their recommendation on the recommendation sheet by providing their name, personal identification number, Hungarian residential address, and signature.
Another person may fill out the voter’s data in their presence, but the voter's own signature is essential.

A voter may support more than one national list, but can support each list with only one recommendation.

Recommendations can be collected anywhere without harassing citizens, with the following exceptions:

• At the workplace of the person collecting or giving the recommendation during working hours or while fulfilling work duties;
• From individuals serving in the Hungarian Defence Forces or central state administration bodies at their place of service or while performing their official duties;
• On public transportation;
• In offices of state, local, or minority self-governments;
• In higher education or public education institutions;
• In healthcare provider facilities;
• On private property open to the public without the prior written consent of the owner.

Recommendations collected in violation of these rules are invalid.

It is prohibited to offer or promise any benefit to a voter in exchange for giving a recommendation!

The recommendation sheet must include the name, personal identification number, or the number of an official identification document (ID card/passport/driver’s license) of the person collecting the recommendation, as well as their signature.
It is important for nominating organizations to ensure that the collector correctly provides their data. If the collector’s data is incomplete or incorrect (e.g., a typo in the personal ID, or providing the birth name instead of the current name), all recommendations on that sheet will be invalidated.

Notification of the National Minority List

The national minority list must be submitted to the National Election Commission by 4:00 p.m. on the 33rd day before the election at the latest, together with the submission of the recommendation sheets. Partial submission of recommendations is not permitted! At the time of notification, at least as many valid recommendations must be submitted as required for the establishment of the list.

The official form marked L5, as defined by law, is used for submitting the list. Each candidate entry on the form must be accompanied by a completed SZ5 form, as also defined by law, filled out by the candidate. The recommendations necessary for establishing the list must be submitted at the same time as the list notification.

Candidates on the list must declare on the SZ5 form that they will not use, for the purposes of this election, any foreign support, or support from domestic legal entities or organizations without legal personality, anonymous donations, or any assets derived from these, with the intent to influence or attempt to influence voters.

The order of candidates on the list is determined by the nominating organization and cannot be modified after submission. A maximum of three times the number of electable representatives may be included on the national list. The nominating organization may withdraw the list or the candidacy of any listed candidate no later than 4:00 p.m. on the final day for list submission, i.e., the 33rd day before the election. The L5 form, as defined by law, is used both for list submission and withdrawal. Once withdrawn, the nominating organization may not submit a new list in its place.

When establishing a national list, the number of registered local minority municipal candidates nominated by the organization up to the date of registration must be taken into account—excluding any candidate whose registration was rejected by the local election committee.

Nominating organizations may participate in only one independent or joint national list.
Candidates on the list may attach a photo to their SZ5 personal information sheet and may also request, on this form, that one of their given names or the "Dr." title be omitted from the official election website and the ballot paper. Additionally, they may request the display of their name in their minority language.

Name Usage

If a candidate on the national list has also accepted a local minority nomination, the National Election Commission will register them on the national list under the name specified in the official statement made on the legally defined form for the local candidacy.

Submission of Recommendation Sheets

All issued recommendation sheets must be returned to the National Election Office by the deadline for candidate notification, i.e., by 4:00 p.m. on the 33rd day before the election. Sheets that contain no recommendations must be returned by 4:00 p.m. on the 32nd day before the election at the latest. A recommendation sheet is considered "blank" if it contains no data at all. Sheets with crossed-out or otherwise rendered unreadable entries are not considered blank.

Anyone may return the recommendation sheets to the National Election Office without a power of attorney.
Failure to return the recommendation sheets results in a mandatory fine imposed by the National Election Commission. The fine is HUF 1,000 for each sheet not submitted on time. The nominating organization is jointly liable for the fine, and in the case of a joint candidate, all participating nominating organizations share liability.

No fine shall be imposed for recommendation sheets that do not contain any recommendations and are submitted the day after the deadline for candidate notification.

There is no exemption from the obligation to return the sheets, and the fine must be paid even if the recommendation sheets were lost or destroyed due to reasons beyond the control of the nominating organization (e.g., theft).

Verification of Recommendations

The National Election Office will verify the submitted recommendations within 3 days.
A representative of the list-submitting organization may be present during the verification process but may not disrupt it.
The verification process may cease once the number of valid recommendations reaches the threshold required for candidacy.
If the number of recommendations submitted does not reach the required minimum, the election office may forgo the verification process altogether.

Additionally, upon request from the nominating organization, the National Election Office will provide information about the result of the verification.

Registration of the National Minority List

If the submission meets the legal requirements, the National Election Commission will register the national minority list no later than the 4th day following the submission.
The Commission will register the list without the candidate if the candidate:

• is not eligible (e.g., not listed in the minority register),
• has accepted another incompatible candidacy (e.g., already appears on another national list),
• was a candidate for a different minority in the 2014 or 2019 general elections of minority municipal representatives or in any subsequent by-elections.

Rules on Joint National Minority Lists

Two or more minority organizations may jointly establish a national list based on jointly nominated individual candidates, involving the same organizations.
In such cases, the recommendation sheets must be jointly requested using the A7 form defined by law, and the joint list must be submitted together using the L5 form.
All legal declarations concerning the joint list must be made jointly by the authorized representatives of the participating organizations. All other rules are the same as those for independent lists.

Disqualification of the National Minority List

The national minority list will be disqualified if:

• the nominating organization(s) withdraw the list by 4:00 p.m. on the 33rd day before the election,
• all candidates on the list are disqualified before voting begins,
• the National Election Office deletes the nominating organization or the list from the register of nominating organizations, candidates, and lists.
  The National Election Office will remove the list from the register if the total number of definitively registered and still pending local minority municipal candidates from the nominating organization does not reach 10% of all local minority municipal seats up for election.