Support for Campaign Activities in the General Election of Members of Parliament

1. Support for Individual Constituency Candidates

In the general election of Members of Parliament, each individual constituency candidate (hereinafter: candidate) is entitled to state budget support as specified in Sections 1 (1) and (2) of Act LXXXVII of 2013 on the Transparency of Campaign Costs in Parliamentary Elections. The amount of support (one million forints) has been increasing annually since 2015 based on the consumer price index determined by the Hungarian Central Statistical Office for the year preceding the next general election.
This support may only be used to finance material expenses related to campaign activities during the official election campaign period, as defined by the election law.

The support is made available to the candidate by the Hungarian State Treasury, which, upon the candidate’s initiative, enters into an agreement within five working days following the final registration of the candidate.
A candidate nominated by a party with a national list may submit a written declaration to the Treasury no later than the day after their final registration, stating that they waive the support and instead authorize the nominating party to receive it.

2. Support for Parties Submitting a National List

Parties submitting a national list are entitled to budgetary support proportional to the number of candidates they nominate.
Parties submitting a joint list are considered a single party for this purpose.
The support can only be disbursed if, no later than the day following the final registration of the national list, the party declares in writing that if they fail to fulfill the repayment obligation and it cannot be recovered from the party itself, its senior officers, and the candidates on the list and individual constituency candidates, they will be jointly and severally liable for repayment.

3. Support for National Minority Self-Governments

National minority self-governments that submit a national list in the general election of Members of Parliament are also eligible for state budget support.

The specific amount allocated to each national minority self-government submitting a national list is determined by the National Election Commission after the deadline for submitting national lists has passed and the decisions on registering all submitted lists have become final.

Detailed information on campaign financing is available on the website of the Hungarian State Treasury at www.allamkincstar.gov.hu, under:
Home > Non-residential clients > Parties, Candidates > Election Campaign Financing,
or directly via this link:
http://www.allamkincstar.gov.hu/nem-lakossagi-ugyfelek/valasztasi_kampanyfinanszirozas

The Individual Parliamentary Constituency Candidate

An individual parliamentary constituency candidate may be any adult Hungarian citizen who is listed in the central electoral register, has collected at least 500 valid recommendations, and is registered by the competent individual constituency election committee (OEVB) at the place of candidacy.

Having a Hungarian residence is not a requirement for eligibility; a person can be a candidate even without it, provided they are included in the central electoral register upon request.

Limitations on the Right to Be Elected

A person is not eligible to be elected, i.e., cannot be a candidate, if:

• a court has excluded them from the right to vote due to committing a criminal offense or due to limited mental capacity,
• they are serving a custodial sentence based on a final court judgment,
• they are undergoing compulsory institutional psychiatric treatment ordered in a criminal procedure,
• they are under the effect of a final judgment prohibiting the exercise of public affairs.

In the election of Members of Parliament, a candidate in an individual constituency may run:

• as the candidate of a party, or
• as an independent candidate.

Two or more parties may jointly nominate a common candidate.

A person may accept a nomination in only one individual constituency.

Recommendation

For the individual constituency, a valid recommendation from at least 500 voters is required. A candidate can only be recommended based on a recommendation sheet issued by the Parliamentary Individual Constituency Electoral Office (OEVI) with a serial number.

Request for Recommendation Sheets

After the election has been scheduled, the voter wishing to run as an independent candidate, or the nominating organization registered by the National Electoral Committee, may request the recommendation sheets from the OEVI at the place of registration through the person entitled to represent them. The request must be made using the A1 form.

It is important to note that recommendation sheets can only be requested for a voter who holds voting rights at the time of submitting the request.

Naming

If the candidate has multiple first names, they may request that only one of their first names be listed on the recommendation sheets, the ballot, and the official election website. Additionally, they may request the removal of the “Dr.” title from their name. Once the recommendation sheets have been issued for the first time, the declaration of names cannot be changed.

Receipt of Recommendation Sheets

The relevant electoral office (OEVI) will provide the requested number of recommendation sheets to the authorized person no earlier than the 50th day before the election.

The recommendation sheet will contain the name of the voter wishing to stand as a candidate, the name of the nominating organization or the fact of independent candidacy, and the indication of the electoral district. In the case of a joint candidate, the electoral office will list the names of all the nominating organizations in the order specified by the A1 form. The electoral office will number the recommendation sheets.

Authorized to Receive the Recommendation Sheets

• The voter wishing to run as a candidate.
• The following representative of a registered nominating organization: a) The legal representative(s), i.e., the person registered in the judicial records of civil organizations as the representative of the organization. b) The person indicated on the nomination form as authorized to act on behalf of the organization. c) A person authorized by the individuals mentioned in points a) and b). d) A person authorized by a written power of attorney, either in a private document with full evidentiary power or in an official document, by the individuals in points a)-c).
• The person designated to receive the sheets on the A1 form.

The electoral office will issue a receipt for the receipt of the recommendation sheets. It is strictly prohibited to make copies of the recommendation sheets, even when they are still blank!

Additional recommendation sheets can be requested until 16:00 on the 37th day before the election (the deadline for candidate registration), by filling out a new A1 form.

If the name of the voter wishing to run as a candidate or the name of the nominating organization changes after the first issuance of recommendation sheets, these changes will not be reflected on the additional sheets.

Collecting Recommendations

The voter must give their recommendation on the recommendation sheet, which must be signed by the voter with their full name, personal identification number, and Hungarian address. Although another person may write the voter's details on the recommendation sheet in the voter's presence, the voter's own signature is a necessary condition in this case as well.

The person collecting the recommendations must also provide their own details on the sheet, including their name, personal identification number, or the number of their official identification document (identity card/passport/driver's license), as well as their signature. It is important that independent candidates and nominating organizations pay special attention to ensure that the person collecting the recommendations accurately records their details. If the collector records their details incorrectly or incompletely (e.g., misspelling their personal identification number, or using a maiden name instead of the legal name), this will invalidate all recommendations on that sheet.

A voter may recommend multiple candidates, but they can only support one candidate per recommendation.

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.

We also draw the attention of all candidates and nominating organizations to the recommendations published by the National Authority for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (NAIH) regarding data processing for elections, which should be observed by all concerned parties. The NAIH recommendations can be found on the following link: https://www.naih.hu/adatvedelmi-ajanlasok.

Any recommendation collected in violation of the rules will be invalid!

It is prohibited to offer or promise any advantage to the voter giving the recommendation in exchange for their support!

An individual candidate announcement

Announcement of the Individual Candidate for the Parliamentary Election

The individual candidate must be announced to the relevant Electoral District Election Committee (OEVB) for registration by 16:00 on the 37th day before the election, along with the submission of the recommendation sheets. The announcement must be made using the E1 form.

If the candidate agrees to the publication of their photo on the official election website, the photo must be attached in a file with the resolution, format, and extension specified by law.

Submission of the Recommendation Sheets

All recommendation sheets must be returned to the electoral office that issued them by the deadline for candidate announcement. The recommendation sheet that does not contain any recommendations must be returned no later than the day after the deadline for the candidate's announcement. Anyone can submit the recommendation sheets to the election office without needing authorization.

Failure to meet this obligation will result in a fine imposed by the OEVB. The fine is 1,000 HUF for each missing recommendation sheet.

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.

Checking the Recommendations

The election office will check the submitted recommendations within 3 days from the candidate's announcement.

The election office will skip the check if the number of recommendations on the sheets does not reach the required number for nomination. The election office will stop verifying the recommendations once it is certain that the valid recommendations meet the required number for nomination.

If requested by the candidate or nominating organization, the election office will provide information on the results of the check.

Registration of the Individual Candidate

The OEVB will register the candidate no later than 4 days after the announcement.

If the OEVB rejects the candidate's registration due to insufficient recommendations, the independent candidate or party can request additional signature sheets before 16:00 on the 37th day before the election by submitting an A1 form. The additional recommendations gathered and submitted on time will be added to the previously submitted ones. A new form must also be submitted in this case.

The general deadlines for submitting the additional sheets apply, so completed sheets must be submitted by 16:00 on the 37th day before the election, and blank sheets must be submitted by 16:00 the following day without penalty.

Rules for Nominating a Joint Individual Candidate

In the parliamentary elections, two or more parties registered as nominating organizations may nominate a joint individual candidate.

The recommendation sheets for the joint candidate must be requested jointly by the nominating organizations from the election office of the OEVB, using the A1 form as specified by law.

If the joint candidate is nominated by more than five parties, the applicants must attach an additional copy of page 2 of the A1 form, clearly indicating the order of the organizations. This can be done by crossing out the listed numbers and writing in the correct number, or by writing over the numbers with a pen.

Any solution is acceptable as long as it is clear to the election office how many organizations are nominating the candidate and in which order they appear on the recommendation sheet.

The joint candidate must be announced jointly by the nominating organizations to the OEVB using the E1 form. At the same time, the nominating organizations must indicate to which organization the candidate belongs for the purposes of the party's budgetary support.

Withdrawal of the Candidate

An individual candidate is withdrawn if:

• They are removed from the central voter registry before the start of voting in Hungary.
• They lose their eligibility.
• The party that nominated them is removed from the list of nominating organizations by the National Election Office.

A candidate may also withdraw their candidacy by submitting a written statement to the election office by 16:00 on the second day before the election, through personal submission or via an authorized representative, after electronic identification.

The E1 form should be used for the withdrawal notice.

A withdrawal after the above deadline does not have legal effect, and votes cast for the withdrawn candidate will still count as valid votes.

The name of the withdrawn candidate will be removed from the records of the nominating organizations, candidates, and lists, as well as from the individual ballots.

A candidate listed on the party list is also considered withdrawn if they do not win a mandate in the election and withdraw their candidacy after the election day.