Elections in Hungary

Nomination of candidates

• All candidates must be at least 18 years old and Hungarian citizens.
• Candidates standing for constituency seats must each have received at least 1000 proposal certificates.
• Parties with candidates standing for election in at least 27 (out of 106) constituencies in at least 9 (out of 19) counties and Budapest may present (national) party lists.
• Each of the legally recognized national minority councils – currently: Armenian, Bulgarian, Croatian, German, Greek, Polish, Romani, Romanian, Rusyn, Serbian, Slovakian, Slovenian, and Ukrainian – may present minority lists (one list per council).

Voting

On Hungarian elections citizens can vote for a party-list (or a minority-list), and in case of residing in Hungary (which is checked by showing the address card) citizens can also vote for a constituency candidate who will be responsible for the local community in the National Assembly.

• At least 18 year old Hungarian citizens with Hungarian residence
  • one vote for a party-list
  • one vote for a constituency candidate
• At least 18 year old Hungarian citizens without Hungarian residence
  • one vote for a party-list
• At least 18 year old Hungarian citizens with Hungarian residence registered as minority voter
  • one vote for a constituency candidate
  • one vote
    • either for a party-list
    • or for a minority-list

Results

In case of the 106 constituency seats, the candidate that receives the most votes (not necessarily more than 50%) in the given constituency, obtains the constituency seat and will be responsible for that local region in the National Assembly. In the case of the 93 party-list seats, parties receive seats in proportion to the votes received out of all the party-list and minority-list votes. These numbers of seats obtained by the parties are calculated according to the D'Hondt method after checking out whether the party has reached the 5% threshold out of all the party-list votes and whether the minority has reached the 5% threshold out of all minority votes. If a minority-lists cannot obtain at least one seat then the first candidate on the minority-list will be minority spokesman, who has right to speak in the National Assembly but is not allowed to vote.

It is possible that the same person is a constituency candidate and a party-list candidate in the same time. If this person has obtained the seat in their constituency and would also obtain a seat because of the party-list that they are listed on then the next candidate in the party-list replaces the candidate that already has obtained a constituency seat. So, for example, someone being the 50th on a party-list can obtain a seat in the National Assembly even if their party has only won 30 party-list seats, if at least 20 candidates listed earlier than them win in their local constituency. (this rule has simplified as there is no county level between the constituency level and the national level)

Generally, big parties place their most important (national level) politicians only on the party-lists because these people want to deal only with national-level issues (like becoming minister). They represent citizens who voted for their parties and not the citizens of their local community, which is the responsibility of those MPs that obtain constituency seats. On the other hand, leaders of small parties usually qualify both on their party-lists and in their local constituencies because of maximizing votes; the leader of a small party might be much more famous or much more popular than an ordinary local politician of a big party.

By-elections

A by-election is an election held to fill a constituency seat that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections. In case of the vacancy of a party-list seat, the next person on the list that is still interested gets to the National Assembly.^[5] This rule has not changed. Note, that by-elections from 2012 are held according to the new system, so only one round is held and no minimum turnout is needed, while the constituencies are the same until 2014.

Latest general election

Voting was held on 12 April 2026, and ran from 6:00 to 19:00 CEST. At 79.6%, it recorded a significant increase in turnout compared to 2022 and set by a large margin the turnout record since the 1990 Hungarian parliamentary election,^[6][7] which were the first free elections since 1945, overtaking the 2002 Hungarian parliamentary election that ended Orbán's first term as Prime Minister.^[8] It had the highest turnout since the 1985 Hungarian parliamentary election, the last election held under the Communist regime of the Hungarian People's Republic, and the results were described as "Hungary's most consequential" since the fall of Communism in 1989 (rendszerváltás).^[8][9] Tisza Party swept Fidesz from power in a landslide victory.^[6] Most independent polling since 2024 showed Tisza Party with a clear lead, a margin reflected in the final results. In contrast, pro-government pollsters projected a fifth term for Fidesz. On election night, with the result beyond doubt, Orbán conceded the election.^[10][6][7]

With all precincts counted, Tisza Party secured 141 seats in the 199-seat National Assembly on 53.2% of the vote, enough for a two-thirds supermajority that would allow it to amend the constitution without the need for support from other parties. While 100 seats are needed for a simple majority to conduct the ordinary business of government, a supermajority of 133 seats is required to change the constitution, a rule enacted by the Orbán government's 2011 constitution. In terms of percentage of the National Assembly controlled, it is the largest mandate that a Hungarian party has ever won in a free election. Fidesz's seat count was more than halved, dropping to 52 seats on 38.6% of the votes. Our Homeland Movement was the only other party projected to have crossed the five percent threshold for parliamentary representation, they secured 6 seats, which is the same number as the last time they got it.^[11] Tisza Party was assured of 138 seats in preliminary results. However, as the final votes were counted, including votes of the Hungarian diaspora, Tisza rose to 141 seats, while Fidesz's seat count dropped from 55 to 52 despite overwhelmingly leading among the diaspora.^[12] Due to the political polarisation between Fidesz and Tisza Party, as well as the high turnout, Hungary's ethnic minorities lost parliamentary representation.^[13]

Election results

More information Party, Party-list ...

Party		Party-list			Constituency			Total seats	+/–
		Votes	%	Seats	Votes	%	Seats
	Tisza Party	3,385,890	53.18	45	3,333,415	55.26	96	141	New
	Fidesz–KDNP	2,458,337	38.61	42	2,215,225	36.72	10	52	–83
	Our Homeland Movement	358,372	5.63	6	345,252	5.72	0	6	0
	Democratic Coalition	70,298	1.10	0	65,302	1.08	0	0	–15
	Hungarian Two Tailed Dog Party	51,965	0.82	0	38,924	0.65	0	0	0
	National Self-Government of Romas [hu]	19,203	0.30	0				0	0
	National Self-Government of Germans	18,419	0.29	0				0	–1
	National Self-Government of Croats	1,307	0.02	0				0	0
	National Self-Government of Slovaks	902	0.01	0				0	0
	National Self-Government of Romanians	512	0.01	0				0	0
	National Self-Government of Rusyns [hu]	440	0.01	0				0	0
	National Self-Government of Ukrainians	379	0.01	0				0	0
	National Self-Government of Slovenes [hu]	179	0.00	0				0	0
	National Self-Government of Greeks	159	0.00	0				0	0
	National Self-Government of Poles	147	0.00	0				0	0
	National Self-Government of Armenians	116	0.00	0				0	0
	National Self-Government of Bulgarians [hu]	108	0.00	0				0	0
	Jobbik				7,832	0.13	0	0	–7
	Hungarian Workers' Party–Party of Solidarity				4,187	0.07	0	0	0
	Party of Normal Life				328	0.01	0	0	0
	National Unification Movement for the Countries of the Holy Crown				249	0.00	0	0	0
	Party of the Centre				247	0.00	0	0	0
	Hungarian Justice and Life Party[a]				196	0.00	0	0	0
	LMP – Hungary's Green Party				163	0.00	0	0	–3
	Direction – The Future Party				109	0.00	0	0	0
	Independents				20,967	0.35	0	0	0
Total		6,366,733	100.00	93	6,032,396	100.00	106	199	0
Valid votes		6,366,733	99.41		6,032,396	99.43
Invalid/blank votes		37,670	0.59		34,327	0.57
Total votes		6,404,403	100.00		6,066,723	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		8,112,646	78.94		7,618,472	79.63
Source: Nemzeti Választási Iroda

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List results

The following shows the calculation of the list seats after the election. To this end the list votes and fractional votes of each party above the electoral threshold are taken into account, with the 93 seats being distributed using the D'Hondt method. No list of national minorities were able to obtain a seat because they did not fulfill the lowered quota of 1/372 of the votes. In this election, that threshold was 26,712 votes.^[14]

Constituency results

Party list results by county, postal, foreign and absentee votes

Show Tisza's results by county

Show Fidesz's results by county

Show MH's results by county

Tisza Party swept every county in the list voting, as well as securing Budapest, where it recorded its best result at 63.8% of the vote.^[21] Such a performance reflected Budapest's status as the liberal capital,^[22] and mirrored the city's vote for the United for Hungary bloc in 2022.^[23] The party also performed strongly in the southern Csongrád-Csanád County, where Fidesz lost the most ground compared to 2022,^[24] and in the Pest County around the national capital.^[25] Conversely, Fidesz recorded its best national result in the eastern Szabolcs–Szatmár–Bereg County, securing 43.4% of the vote;^[26] however, they performed significantly better in the postal voting among the Hungarian diaspora,^[27][28] winning 84.2% of the vote.^[29] Despite the large margin of victory for Fidesz, the diaspora vote shifted away from the bloc,^[30] reportedly by some ten percent of the vote.^[29] By contrast, Tisza Party performed strongest among voters casting ballots at Hungarian foreign representations, primarily Hungarian citizens living or working in Western European countries, and among absentee voters voting away from their registered address inside Hungary, taking a combined 72.3% of the vote in this category.^[25] Finally, Our Homeland Movement, a far-right party that was seen as a potential kingmaker going into the election,^[31] came in third, performing the best in the northern Nógrád County with 7.3% of the vote.^[25]

Party list results by settlement type

Party list results by settlement size

Turnout

Prime ministers and their governments since 1989

Parties   MSZP   Fidesz   MDF   Independent

More information No., Portrait ...

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Political party	Cabinet	Assembly (Election)
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
—		Miklós Németh (born 1948) provisional	23 October 1989	23 May 1990	212 days	MSZP	Németh MSZP	—
53		József Antall (1932–1993)	23 May 1990	12 December 1993	3 years, 203 days	MDF	Antall MDF–FKGP[j]–KDNP	34 (1990)
—		Péter Boross (born 1928) acting	12 December 1993	21 December 1993	9 days
54		Péter Boross (born 1928)	21 December 1993	15 July 1994	206 days		Boross MDF–EKGP–KDNP
55		Gyula Horn (1932–2013)	15 July 1994	6 July 1998	3 years, 356 days	MSZP	Horn MSZP–SZDSZ	35 (1994)
56		Viktor Orbán (born 1963) 1st term	6 July 1998	27 May 2002	3 years, 325 days	Fidesz	Orbán I Fidesz–FKGP–MDF	36 (1998)
57		Péter Medgyessy (born 1942)	27 May 2002	29 September 2004	2 years, 125 days	Independent	Medgyessy MSZP–SZDSZ	37 (2002)
58		Ferenc Gyurcsány (born 1961)	29 September 2004	9 June 2006	4 years, 197 days	MSZP	Gyurcsány I MSZP–SZDSZ
			9 June 2006	14 April 2009			Gyurcsány II MSZP–SZDSZ[k]	38 (2006)
59		Gordon Bajnai (born 1968)	14 April 2009	29 May 2010	1 year, 45 days	Independent	Bajnai MSZP[l]
(56)		Viktor Orbán (born 1963) 2nd term	29 May 2010	10 May 2014	15 years, 341 days	Fidesz	Orbán II Fidesz–KDNP	39 (2010)
			10 May 2014	10 May 2018			Orbán III Fidesz–KDNP	40 (2014)
			10 May 2018	16 May 2022			Orbán IV Fidesz–KDNP	41 (2018)
			16 May 2022	Incumbent			Orbán V Fidesz–KDNP	42 (2022)

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Latest local elections

Past referendums

There were 8 referendums in modern Hungary:

• Four-part referendum in 1989 (4 questions, all passed)
• Presidential election referendum in 1990 (1 question, failed because of low voter turnout)
• NATO membership referendum in 1997 (1 question, passed)
• European Union membership referendum in 2003 (1 question, passed)
• Dual citizenship referendum in 2004 (2 questions, both failed because of low voter turnout)
• Fees abolishment referendum in 2008 (3 question, all passed)
• 2016 Hungarian migrant quota referendum in 2016 (1 question, failed because of low voter turnout)
• 2022 Hungarian LGBT in education referendum in 2022 (4 questions, failed because of low voter turnout)

Presidents of Hungary since 1989

Parties   MSZP   SZDSZ   Fidesz   Independent

More information No., Portrait ...

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Political party[m]	Position(s)	Term (Election)
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
—		Mátyás Szűrös (born 1933)	23 October 1989	2 May 1990	191 days	MSZP	Provisional President of the Republic	—
—		Árpád Göncz (1922–2015)	2 May 1990	3 August 1990	10 years, 93 days	SZDSZ	Acting President of the Republic Also Speaker of the National Assembly	—
1			3 August 1990	3 August 1995			President of the Republic	1 (1990)
			3 August 1995	3 August 2000				2 (1995)
2		Ferenc Mádl (1931–2011)	4 August 2000	4 August 2005	5 years	Independent		3 (2000)
3		László Sólyom (1942–2023)	5 August 2005	5 August 2010	5 years			4 (2005)
4		Pál Schmitt (born 1942)	6 August 2010	2 April 2012	1 year, 240 days	Fidesz		5 (2010)
—		László Kövér (born 1959)	2 April 2012	10 May 2012	38 days		Acting President of the Republic Also Speaker of the National Assembly	—
5		János Áder (born 1959)	10 May 2012	10 May 2017	10 years		President of the Republic	6 (2012)
			10 May 2017	10 May 2022				7 (2017)
6		Katalin Novák (born 1977)	10 May 2022	26 February 2024	1 year, 292 days			8 (2022)
—		László Kövér (born 1959)	26 February 2024	5 March 2024	8 days		Acting President of the Republic Also Speaker of the National Assembly	—
7		Tamás Sulyok (born 1956)	5 March 2024	Incumbent	2 years, 61 days	Independent	President of the Republic	9 (2024)

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First round

In the first round, each voter may cast

• one vote for one candidate running for the local single-seat constituency;
• one vote for a party list established in the local MMC.

After the polls close:

• The result in single-seat constituencies where voter turnout was below 50% is declared invalid, and all candidates for the first round enter the second round.
• Any single-seat constituency where turnout was over 50% and one candidate received over 50% of the votes is won by that candidate, and no second round takes place.
• In all remaining single-seat constituencies (i.e., where turnout exceeded 50% but no candidate received over 50% of votes), the top three candidates and any other candidates having received at least 15% of votes are eligible (a kind of runoff voting).
• The result for MMCs where the turnout was over 50% is produced. (If all MMCs saw adequate turnout, the parties passing the election threshold could already be determined and the MMC seats could be allocated.)

Second round

In the second round, each voter may cast

• one vote for one candidate still standing in the single-seat constituency, if the seat was not won in the first round;
• one vote for a party list in the MMC, if the first round was invalid due to insufficient turnout.

After the polls close:

• Any seats in single-seat constituencies where turnout was below 25%, or where the first two candidates received an equal number of votes, will remain vacant.
• All other single-seat constituencies will be won by the candidate who received the most votes.
• The result of MMC where turnout was below 25% is declared invalid, and the seats from that constituency are added to the compensation seats.
• The parties passing the threshold are identified based on MMCs with a valid result. Seats from these constituencies are distributed.
• Parties having passed the threshold are eligible for the compensation seats; these are distributed based on:
  • the sum of votes remaining in the MMCs after the distribution of the seats, plus
  • the sum of votes cast for losing candidates of each party in the first valid round of each single-seat constituency (similar to the scorporo system). Since the first valid round is taken into account, votes are still counted for a candidate who is eliminated in the first round, or who steps down after a valid first round to endorse another, more viable candidate.