Foreign Representation Observer

In elections where voting takes place at foreign representations, including the election of Members of the National Assembly, Act XXXVI of 2013 on Electoral Procedure ensures that nominating organizations that nominate candidates, as well as independent candidates, can appoint a maximum of two observers per foreign representation to monitor the work of the foreign representation election office and the conduct of voting at the foreign representation. Nominating organizations nominating a joint candidate are jointly entitled to appoint a maximum of two observers.

Only a voter registered in the central electoral register can be a foreign representation observer.

Foreign representation observers must be:

• notified to the National Election Commission,
• by 4:00 PM on the 10th day before election day in Hungary.

The notification must contain the following information:

The original document containing the notification can be submitted by anyone to the National Election Office operating alongside the National Election Commission at 1054 Budapest, Alkotmány St. 3., or it can be sent by post to 1397 Budapest, Pf. 547, provided it arrives by the aforementioned deadline. Furthermore, the notification can be submitted with an electronic signature via email or e-paper through Client Gate +. In the case of electronic submission, the signature of the appointing independent candidate's/nominating organization(s)' representative on the appointment must be authenticated with a qualified electronic signature, an advanced electronic signature, or a document authentication service with identity verification. In the case of submission via e-paper, the attached notification also needs to be authenticated.

Following the notification, the National Election Commission shall register the foreign representation observer.

A registered foreign representation observer:

• can monitor the work of the foreign representation election office,
• cannot influence or disrupt the voting or the work of the foreign representation election office by any active or suggestive behaviour,
• can record observations in the minutes drawn up on the completion of voting,
• can lodge an objection,
• can sign the sealed ballot box after the closing of the vote,
• is obliged to wear a registration card in the polling-station.

The costs associated with the appointment and activities of the foreign representation observer are borne by their appointer (nominating organization/independent candidate).

Observers appointed to supervise the verification of identification documents and the legality of counting postal votes

A nominating organization putting forward a party list that is entitled to appoint a member to the National Election Commission may appoint a maximum of five observers to the National Election Office to supervise the legality of the verification of identification documents and the counting of postal votes.

An observer:

• can be a voter registered in the central electoral register, and
• a voter who has taken an oath or made a pledge before the chair of the election commission in accordance with the Act on the Oath and Pledge of Certain Public Officials, and
• cannot be a member of the NEC or the NEO.

The observers must be:

• notified to the National Election Commission,
• by 4:00 PM on the 9th day before the Hungarian election day.

The notification must contain the following information:

The original document containing the notification can be submitted by anyone to the National Election Office operating alongside the National Election Commission at 1054 Budapest, Alkotmány St 3., or it can be sent by post to 1397 Budapest, Pf. 547, provided it arrives by the aforementioned deadline. Furthermore, the notification can be submitted with an electronic signature via email or e-paper through Client Gate +. In the case of electronic submission, the signature of the appointing independent candidate's/nominating organization(s)' representative on the appointment must be authenticated with a qualified electronic signature, an advanced electronic signature, or a document authentication service with identity verification.

Following the notification, the National Election Commission shall register the observer(s). After the registration becomes legally binding, the observer will take an oath or make a pledge before the President of the National Election Commission, according to the Act on the Oath and Pledge of Certain Public Officials.

A registered observer who has taken the oath/pledge:

• can monitor the work of the National Election Office,
• cannot disrupt the verification of identification documents and the counting of votes by any active or suggestive behaviour,
• can lodge an objection.

The costs associated with the appointment and activities of the observer are borne by the appointing nominating organization.

Observers Appointed to Supervise Ballot Boxes

Nominating organizations that nominate a national list, i.e., both organizations nominating a party list and organizations nominating a national minority list, may appoint a maximum of two observers per seat municipality of single-member constituencies of the National Assembly, who can be present at the supervision of the ballot box used for the submission of election documents.

Only a voter registered in the central electoral register can be an observer.

The observer must be:

• notified to the National Election Commission,
• by 4:00 PM on the 9th day before the Hungarian election day.

The notification must contain the following information:

The original document containing the notification can be submitted by anyone to the National Election Office operating alongside the National Election Commission at 1054 Budapest, Alkotmány St. 3., or it can be sent by post to 1397 Budapest, Pf. 547, provided it arrives by the aforementioned deadline. Furthermore, the notification can be submitted with an electronic signature via email or e-paper through Client Gate +. In the case of electronic submission, the signature of the appointing independent candidate's/nominating organization(s)' representative on the appointment must be authenticated with a qualified electronic signature, an advanced electronic signature, or a document authentication service with identity verification.

Following the notification, the National Election Commission shall register the observer(s). The costs associated with the appointment and activities of the observer are borne by the appointing nominating organization.

The Observer Supervising the Recounting in the Local Election Commission

The current provisions of the Ve. regulate the institution of recounting in two cases:

• in appeal proceedings, the National Election Commission adjudicating the appeal or the Curia of Hungary adjudicating the request for judicial review may order a recounting of the votes, or
• in cases specified by law (tight results or a tie), a recounting shall take place before the result is determined.

It should be noted that in both of the above cases, the recounting must be carried out by the local election commission. The only exception to this is section 258/A(2) of the Ve., when the votes counted by the polling station commission designated for counting in accordance with section 292 (1) are counted by the single-member constituency election commission.

In parliamentary elections, delegation to the local election commission is only possible in municipalities with a single polling-station, but even there, nominating organizations and independent candidates do not always exercise this right. Therefore, in order to monitor the recounting, the legislator deemed it necessary that nominating organizations and independent candidates in municipalities with a single polling-station that did not delegate a representative, and in the case of local election commissions in municipalities with multiple polling-stations, all nominating organizations and independent candidates concerned, be able to appoint one observer each.

The detailed rules for the appointment of observers are set out in NEC Guidance No. 1/2025, the most important provisions of which are as follows:

• The following are entitled to appoint observers to the local election commission (unless they have already appointed a member in accordance with the rules governing other elections held in parallel with the general election of Members of Parliament, or in accordance with the rules governing the general election of Members of Parliament in a municipality with a single polling-station):
• • in the event of a recounting of votes cast in a single-member constituency
  • • the nominating organization that nominated a candidate in the single-member constituency, and
    • the independent candidate who ran in the single-member constituency;
  • in the event of a recounting of votes cast for the national lists, the nominating organization that submitted the national list (including the party and the national minority self-government).
• The following are entitled to appoint observers to the single-member election commission (unless they have already appointed a member in accordance with the rules governing the general election of members of the National Assembly):
• • the nominating organization that nominated a candidate in the single-member constituency of the National Assembly, and
  • the independent candidate who ran in the single-member constituency of the National Assembly.
• Nominating organizations that put forward a joint candidate or list are jointly entitled to appoint observers.
• The observer must be registered with the election office operating alongside the election commission conducting the recounting, no later than the end of the recounting. Section 30 (3) of the Ve. – i.e., the rules governing the appointment of delegates – shall apply accordingly.
• An observer pursuant to section 187 (2) of the Ve.:
• • may observe the recounting conducted by the election commission,
  • may not influence or interfere with the recounting process or the work of the election commission by any active or suggestive behaviour,
  • must wear a registration card during the recounting.

Joint Procedure

Rules applicable in the case of a national referendum held on the same day as the general election of Members of the National Assembly (joint procedure):

Considering that the initiator of national referendums is the Government, pursuant to section 65 (2) of Act CCXXXVIII of 2013 on initiating referendums, the European Citizens’ Initiative and Referendum Procedure, section 68 of the same act does not apply. Therefore, the sole legal basis for appointments to election commission is as stipulated in sections 27-29 of the Electoral Procedure Act (Ve.).