Official Election Campaign Launches Today – Here’s What That Means

The campaign for the 2022 parliamentary elections has officially started. A number of candidates have already been announced by the over 40 parties taking part in the elections, but to actually appear on the ballot on April 3, they still need to get a certain number of “endorsements” from the electorate.

The official campaign period for the parliamentary elections begins on February 12, the fiftieth day before the election. On this day, all candidates in the 106 individual electoral districts can begin collecting endorsements for their nomination.

500 Endorsements Needed to Officially Qualify

A candidate needs a minimum of 500 valid endorsement signatures from voters in their constituency to qualify for the ballot. Endorsements are typically submitted on an endorsement form, which must be signed by the voter and also contain the voter’s name, personal identification number, and official Hungarian residence. Another person may fill in the form in the presence of the voter, but the voter themselves must sign the form.

The endorsement form must also indicate the name, personal identification number, and signature of the person collecting the endorsement.

On its official website, the National Election Office (NVI) also points out that independent candidates need to take careful note that they record correct information on the form. If any information on a voter is incomplete or incorrectly written down, such as a wrong personal identification number or the spelling of their name, all of the endorsements on the endorsement form will be deemed invalid.

A voter may nominate more than one candidate, but may only give an official endorsement to a single candidate.

Candidates will be able to collect endorsements until 4:00pm on February 25, then submit their forms to the Parliamentary Individual Electoral District Election Office, which will check the information and signatures on the forms within three days.

Parties and Minorities Can Set Up National Candidate Lists

A political party or national minority self-government registered with the National Election Commission (NVB) as a “nominating organization” can also set up a national list of candidates as either a “party list” or “nationality list,” respectively. The national list must also be registered with the NVB.

A political party can set up a party list if it has candidates that independently qualify for nomination in at least 71 individual electoral districts, encompassing at least 14 counties and the capital. A party list must be announced to NVB no later than 4:00pm on February 26, 2022.

In addition, two or more parties sharing joint nominees in individual electoral districts can set up a joint party list, as the six-party United for Hungary opposition has done for this election.

[Index][Photo: Anna Orosz / Facebook]