Constituencies and Electoral Districts

Constituencies

The number of members of Parliament (MPs) shall total 386. The distribution of seats, as a result of the parliamentary elections, is accomplished to a mixed electoral system i.e. the combination of the majority and the proportional systems. 176 seats in the single-member constituencies are distributed in a majority system. In the first round a candidate becomes an MP if he/she has obtained more than half of the votes validly cast, provided that more than half of the eligible voters of the constituency have cast their votes (absolute majority system). If the first round is invalid or no one candidate has obtained more than half of the votes validly cast, a second round shall take place. During the second round the candidate having obtained the greatest number of votes becomes an MP, provided that the turnout exceeded a quarter of electors of the constituency (relative majority system).
Political parties may nominate lists in the regional constituencies (in 19 counties and in the capital). Voters may vote for one list but they must not erase names from or add to the list of candidates or modify the order of candidates (bound list). 152 seats are distributed in these regional constituencies The remaining 58 seats, completed with the above-mentioned ones, are distributed form the national compensation list. Detailed regulations of determining the results and distributing the seats are presented under the title Determination of the results. 58 seats, completed with the above mentioned ones, are distributed among the national compensation lists.
Individual constituencies shall be formed in a manner that the number of inhabitants be approximately identical in each constituency. In forming constituencies minority, religious, historical, geographical and other characteristics must be taken into consideration. The Government is authorised to determine the boundaries and centre of the individual constituencies, in accordance with the above-mentioned principles. Territories of the regional constituencies coincide with the territories of the counties and the capital.
By clicking on the "Constituencies" you may find the most important information about the constituencies.

Where can I cast my vote? (polling-stations, district information)

Territory of an individual constituency is divided into electoral districts. The settlements of the country are divided into polling-stations (PS). Each settlement has at least one polling station where the eligible voters living in the territory of the settlement may cast their votes. Number, serial number and geographical arrangement of the PSs and the address of the polling station are to be determined by the head of the local electoral committee. Polling-stations must be formed in a manner that the number of voters is between 600 and 1200 per polling-station. However, each settlement shall have at least one polling-satation even if the number of voters is less than 600. At settlements with two or more PS a polling station shall be allocated where voters living in the settlement but having no residence (homebound people) may vote. The number of polling-stations is: 10843.
Each polling station has a Polling-station Committee (PSC) that consists of members elected by the local government and delegated by the candidates (political parties) running for seats in the given constituency. The PSC is responsible for maintaining the order in the polling station, checks the identity and eligibility of the voters, and if necessary, explains the voter how to vote. After closing voting the PSC counts the votes cast and determines the electoral results of the polling-station. An official report is to be made on the counting of the votes and the determination of the results. The local electoral office shall forward this report to the single-member election committee, which forwards it to the National Election Office through the regional constituency electoral committee.
The voters are given the opportunity to cast their votes abroad, in the embassies and consulate generals of the Republic of Hungary. When voting abroad, voters cast their votes on those candidates and list that they would vote for if they stayed at home on the day of the election in the polling station according to their domicycle. The day of voting differs in the case of voting abroad: voters may cast their votes a week earlier in the first electoral round, and on the day of in-country voting in the second round. Election is not organized in those embassies and consulates where no voters are enlisted on the register of voters. In the foreign representation (embassy and consulate general) foreign representation election office (FREO) is operated, that comprises of members appointed by the Head of the National Election Office for the 2006 parliamentary elections. Observers to foreign representations may be delegated by the nominating organizations (parties) and independent candidates. One nominating organization (or independent candidate) can only delegate one observer per each foreign representation. The foreign representation election office fulfils the duties of the polling-station committees: prints out the register of voters voting in the embassy/consulate general, prints out the appropriate ballott papers, supervises the polling-station, conducts the process of voting, ensures the legitimacy of the voting and handles the occurent electoral disputes. However, the FREO does not carry out vote-counting tasks. Right after the closing of voting, it forwards the sealed ballot-boxes to the National Election Office. The opening of the ballot-boxes arriving from the embassies/consulates are opened by the National Election Committee, and the unopened envelopes containing the votes are then sorted by single-member constituencies and forwarded to the Single-member Conbstituency Committees. In each single-member constituency, one polling-station is assigned to receive the votes arriving from abroad (cast by the voters of the constituency staying abroad), and those ballot-papers are counted together with the votes cast in the polling-station – on the day of in-country voting in the first-round and 6 days after the day of voting in the second round.