Hungarian parliamentary elections: voter turnout exceeded 66%

According to Ukrinform, this information was reported by Hungarian Conservative, citing data from the Hungarian National Election Office (NVI).

Voter turnout was highest in the Pest district—69.67%, equivalent to 731,952 voters. Meanwhile, the lowest turnout was recorded in the Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén district, where 60.08% of voters, or 288,163 people, had cast their ballots.

In Budapest, 69.23% of voters, or 880,173 people, had cast their ballots by 3:00 p.m. local time on Sunday.

It is noted that as of 7 a.m. local time in Hungary, 3.46% of voters had cast their ballots; by 9 a.m., 16.89%; by 11 a.m., 37.98%; and by 1 p.m., 54.13%.

As reported by Ukrinform, parliamentary elections began in Hungary on Sunday, April 12. Polling stations across the country opened at 6 a.m. and will remain open until 7 p.m.

Hungary has a complex electoral system: of the 199 seats in parliament, 106 are elected by direct vote in single-member districts, while the remaining 93 seats are allocated based on party lists, for which both Hungarians abroad and those in the country can vote. Under Hungary’s electoral system, votes cast for candidates in single-member districts who do not win are not lost. They are automatically added to the result of the corresponding party on the national list.

There is also a “winner’s bonus” (a rule introduced by Viktor Orbán’s reform in 2011)—if a party’s candidate wins a district by a large margin, the “excess” votes (those exceeding the number of votes received by the opponent who came in second, +1 vote) are also added to the party’s national list.

Previously, “surplus votes” often gave an advantage to the Fidesz party.

Parties must receive 5% of the vote at the national level to enter parliament.

Photo: AA