The CEC participated for the first time in the observation of the

European Parliament elections in Hungary and signed a Memorandum of 

Understanding

From 8 to 10 June 2024, by the invitation of the National Election Office of Hungary (NEO), the CEC Chairman Nurlan Abdirov and the CEC Secretary Mukhtar Erman participated in the international observation of the elections to the European Parliament, the elections of representatives of local authorities, and the elections of members of municipalities of national minorities.

As part of the trip on 8 June, Nurlan Abdirov met with Dr. Attila Nagy, President of the National Election Office of Hungary, during which a Memorandum of Understanding between the election authorities of Kazakhstan and Hungary was signed. The meeting was also attended by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Kazakhstan to Hungary Mr. Zhanibek Abdrashov.

 “We share your confidence that the signing of this Memorandum will further strengthen our professional cooperation”, emphasized Nurlan Abdirov, addressing the President of the Hungarian NEO during the signing of the document. He also proposed starting the implementation of the provisions on the exchange of experience outlined in the Memorandum within this year. In particular, he expressed interest in holding online consultations with Hungarian colleagues on such issues as alternative methods of voting, informing voters by election organizers, ensuring the electoral rights of persons with disabilities, conducting online campaigning, as well as specific aspects of financing election campaigns.

Discussing the prospects of cooperation between the national election authorities, the Head of the CEC of Kazakhstan thanked his colleague for the opportunity to participate in the observation of the elections to the European Parliament and municipal local self-government bodies. He also expressed his appreciation for Dr.Attila Nagy’s inspiring video message to the participants of the International Conference “Constitutional Reform and Electoral System” dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Astana, 7-8 December 2023).

During the meeting, the Chairman of the CEC of the RK emphasized the importance of exchanging experience in the electoral sphere, expressed interest in the work carried out in Hungary regarding postal voting for citizens of this country staying abroad, the formation of an electoral register, and the organization of local election campaigns, which are valuable international experience that could be taken into account in the further improvement of Kazakhstan's electoral legislation.  

  At the end of the meeting, Nurlan Abdirov presented Attila Nagy with scientific publications on electoral topics published on the initiative of the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan in English, namely a large-scale scientific work – A Monograph on the Development of the Electoral System of the Country entitled “The Central Election Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan - 30 years. Transformation of the electoral system of the Republic of Kazakhstan”, as well as the Information Collection on elections and referendums held from 2012 to 2023, and a collection of materials of the above-mentioned anniversary conference. He also expressed his gratitude for the active participation of Hungarian representatives in the international observation of major electoral campaigns in Kazakhstan, such as the referendum and the 2022 Presidential electionsand the elections of deputies of the Mazhilis of the Parliament and Maslikhats in 2023. 

It is worth noting that, according to the current legislation, in Hungary election organizers work under a mixed system, dividing responsibilities between the election commission and the election office. In general, the Hungarian electoral authorities do not form a unified system, as all levels of election commissions are organized and operate separately, there are significant differences in their status, powers, and formation procedures.

For reference: For the organization of elections and ensuring the electoral rights of citizens, a system of election commissions operates, which includes the National Election Commission of Hungary, district election commissions, and precinct election commissions. The status, formation procedures, and activities of these commissions are regulated by the Law on Electoral Procedures of 2013. The National Election Commission (NEC) organizes and conducts parliamentary elections and referendums, as well as provides methodological support for all local self-government elections. The seven members of the NEC, including the Chairman, are elected by the Parliament upon the proposal of the President of Hungary for a term of 9 years.

The National Election Commission, functioning on a permanent basis, is a special state body responsible for organizing nationwide parliamentary elections. Regional and local election commissions are responsible for conducting municipal elections and referendums, while district election commissions ensure the organization of parliamentary elections in individual districts. Additionally, election commissions are tasked with organizing and conducting elections of members of the European Parliament.

The National Election Office (NEO), being a separate government body, acts as an administrative apparatus and handles specific tasks. It is an important body with organizational powers responsible for the administrative management of the electoral process. The Head of the National Election Office is appointed by the President upon the recommendation of the Prime Minister for a term of 9 years. All office employees are civil servants and are prohibited from participating in political activities. The office carries out public procurement, provides material, technical, and financial support to election commissions, produces and delivers special election documentation. It is also responsible for providing information support for elections and organizing training for election commission members.

According to the legislation, election offices operate at different levels of election commissions: parliamentary, regional, single-member constituencies, and at the local level. In precinct commissions, an employee of the local election office is responsible for maintaining the voter register.

Six delegations participated in the international observation of the elections in Hungary. The Kazakh delegation observed together with delegations from Azerbaijan, Georgia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Turkiye.

Within the framework of the international observation program, bilateral meetings with the Chairmen of the CEC of Azerbaijan Mazahir Panahov and Turkey Ahmet Yener were held. They exchanged views on the current electoral processes in different countries and discussed the prospects for further development of cooperation between the electoral bodies of our countries.

On 9 June, Election Day, the CEC representatives visited polling stations in several districts of Budapest. It should be noted that most polling stations are located in general education institutions. The voting took place freely, without any hustle. The capital’s residents were active, lined up at polling stations, mostly adults, including many elderly people. There was a friendly atmosphere at the polling stations. The election commissions demonstrated their competence. No irregularities were observed at the polling stations and outside the premises.

At the polling stations, the Head of the CEC of Kazakhstan was interested in the processes of forming election commissions, working with voter lists, vote counting, and other voting procedures.

The Basic Law of Hungary (the Constitution) grants all Hungarian citizens over the age of 18 the right to vote in the elections for the National Assembly, local government, and the European Parliament. According to electoral law, citizens over the age of 16, if married, are also entitled to vote in the elections for the National Assembly. This lowering of the age threshold is aimed at the active involvement of young families in the social and political life of the country.

Active suffrage in local government, mayoral, and European Parliament elections is also available to citizens of European Union member states if they are permanently resident in Hungary. Hungarian electoral law also grants this right to persons with refugee status, immigrants and holders of permanent residence permits. The Hungarian Constitution stipulates that registration is mandatory for active suffrage in municipal elections, and voters may vote only at the place of registration. Persons who have been deprived of the right to vote by a court for committing crimes or who have been declared incompetent by a court are not entitled to vote.

The National Electoral Office sends a letter of invitation to each citizen with permanent residence (postal address) to participate in the elections, providing all the necessary explanatory information.  

It is interesting to note that, according to the Law on Electoral Procedures of 2013, campaigning begins 50 days before the voting day and ends on the voting day, thus there is no “day of silence”. However, on the voting day, campaigning inside the polling room and within 150 meters of the entrance to the polling room is prohibited. Public campaigning includes the use of posters, appeals to voters, political advertising, voter meetings, distribution of leaflets, etc.

The voting process is conducted in the traditional manner, using paper ballots only. Electronic systems are also not used in the counting of votes. Depending on the nature of the election, voters vote for a list of a political party (national minority) or for a candidate. In a majoritarian system, the ballot paper includes the names of the candidates in addition to the name of the election and the order of completion. However, if any candidates have the identical data, additional information, such as the date of birth, may be included on the ballot paper. The ballot paper for lists of political parties may display their black-and-white logo in addition to their full name.

Voters residing outside Hungary but registered at their place of residence on its territory may vote at a diplomatic mission or consular office in the elections for the National Assembly, the European Parliament, and in national referendum. Voters residing abroad but without a permanent residence in Hungary vote by mail. They receive an envelope with a ballot paper at their address upon request, after filling it out, they submit it in person or through the consulate to the District Election Commission. The ballot papers of persons who voted at consulates and diplomatic missions are sent to the specially formed precinct election commissions established in each single-mandate district, where the voting results are tabulated.

Another peculiarity is that the polling station commission encourages a voter to fill out the ballot in the voting booth, but cannot, by law, oblige him to do so, as a result of which there were cases of voting outside the booths among elderly people. 

It should also be mentioned that there are no national observers at the polling stations. According to the responsible staff of the NEO, this is not necessary, and the law does not provide for it, since the members of precinct election commissions represent various political parties and public associations. There is no video monitoring at polling stations either.

It should be noted that all necessary conditions were created for international observers to fully observe the elections, and the elections in Hungary were conducted in accordance with international standards and the requirements of the national legislation.

For reference: According to the official data of the Hungarian NEC, the European Parliament and local elections saw a record turnout of voters –of over 7.8 million eligible to vote, 59.45% voters exercised their right to vote. 

Hungary has 21 seats in the European Parliament. The elections are held in one round, with the whole country forming a single constituency.

According to the Hungarian NEO, the FIDES - Hungarian Civic Union party, led by the Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, together with its junior partners, the Christian Democrats, wins 11 seats in the European Parliament, the centrist Respect and Freedom party wins 7, the left-liberal coalition of three parties (Democratic Coalition, Socialists, and Dialogue for Hungary - Greens) wins 2 seats, and the nationalist Our Homeland party can count on 1 seat. The other parties did not pass the 5% threshold.

It is worth to remind that this year, the delegations of the Central Election Commission of the RK led by Chairman N.Abdirov also for the first time carried out international observation of parliamentary elections in the Republic of Korea (April 4-12) and the Republic of India (May 4-8). More information about this can be found on the CEC of the RK’s website.