Fidesz wants 1-round election, ballot for Hungarian citizens abroad

The ruling Fidesz party will submit a bill for a single-round general election, with each voter residing in Hungary casting two ballots -- one for a candidate in their individual constituency and another one for a national party list. Hungarian citizens abroad, including Hungarians living in neighbouring countries, will be enfranchised, the document seen by MTI on Thursday said.

Citizens who do not reside in Hungary will cast a single vote for a national party list by sending their vote through the post. The first-past-the-post (individual constituency) and proportional (party lists) systems will be combined to ensure the least number of votes are lost. Surplus votes will be added to the national party list. The number of individual constituencies is set to drop to 90-110 from 176. When it comes to redrawing constituency borders, the opinions of the Constitutional Court and the Council of Europe's Venice Commission will be taken into consideration. Changes in the number of voters in a ward will be capped at 10-15 percent when the boundaries are redrawn.

Instead of the requirement to collect 750 nomination slips per constituency in order for qualify, a party will have to gather 1,500 in a period of 21 days. The threshold for a parliamentary mandate will stay at 5 percent for a single list, rising to 10 percent for a joint list and 15 percent for a multiparty list. The current county lists (the 19 counties plus Budapest) will be scrapped, and seats up for grabs will be transferred to the national lists. A party will have to put up candidates in at least nine counties, in the capital and in altogether 27 individual constituencies in order to qualify, according to the draft. A novel concept in the draft is introducing the right to vote for national minorities, with citizens on a national-minority register voting for their lists. Each minority self-government can establish a register, and 1,500 nomination slips from members of the minority whose name appears on the register will be needed in order to run.

Fidesz group leader Janos Lazar has sent the document to Laszlo Salamon, head of the subcommittee in charge of the electoral reform whose remit includes downsizing of Parliament. The final number of seats has yet to be finalised, but the unicameral parliament is expected to have around 200 lawmakers as opposed to 386 currently.
Hungary currently operates a two-round election system dating back to 1989.

(MTI-fidesz.hu)