Hungarian parliamentary election, 2010

Hungarian parliamentary election, 2010
Hungary
11 and 25 April 2010

All 386 seats to the Országgyűlés
194 seats needed for a majority
Turnout 64.36% and 46.52%
  First party Second party
 
Leader Viktor Orbán Attila Mesterházy[1]
Party Fidesz MSZP
Leader since 2003
Last election 164 190
Seats won
263 / 386
Fidesz 227,
KDNP 36
59 / 386
Seat change Increase99 Decrease131
Popular vote 2,706,292 990,428
Percentage 52.73% 19.30%
Swing Increase10.70% Decrease 23.91%

  Third party Fourth party
 
Leader Gábor Vona András Schiffer
Party Jobbik LMP
Leader since 2006
Last election 0 New party
Seats won
47 / 386
16 / 386
Seat change Increase47 Increase16
Popular vote 855,436 383,876
Percentage 16.67% 7.48%
Swing Increase 16.67% Increase 7.48%

Map showing winning parties
  seats won by Fidesz (173)
  seats won by MSZP (2)
  seat won by independent candidate (1)

Prime Minister before election

Gordon Bajnai
MSZP

Subsequent Prime Minister

Viktor Orbán
Fidesz

This article is part of a series on the
politics and government of
Hungary
Foreign relations

Parliamentary elections were held in Hungary on 11 and 25 April 2010 to choose MPs for the National Assembly.[2] They were the sixth free elections since the end of communist era. 386 members of parliament were elected in a combined system of party lists and electoral constituencies.[3]

In the first round of the elections, the conservative party Fidesz won the absolute majority of seats, enough to form a government on its own. In the second round Fidesz-Christian Democratic People's Party (KDNP) candidates won enough seats to achieve a two-thirds majority required to modify major laws and the country's constitution.

Background

Fidesz's landslide victory was a result of massive dissatisfaction with and voting in protest against MSZP, the Hungarian Socialist Party, which had been in government since 2002, and it was one event and its consequences especially that provoked resentment: in 2006 Ferenc Gyurcsány, the contemporary Prime Minister of Hungary, delegated by MSZP, made a private speech in front of MSZP party members, in which he, although generally outlining a direction to a new beginning and a moral paradigm change in day-to-day policy making, admitted to having been lying to the general public in different matters through a prolonged time during the campaign running up to the previous election, which had resulted among others in his reelection. This speech surfaced in the press in the Autumn of 2006, and resulted in nationwide protests.

Polls

As polls showed both MDF and SZDSZ would be unlikely to make it into parliament on their own, they have agreed to a limited electoral cooperation.[4] In March 2010, polls also showed that the Hungarian parliament after the election was likely to be completely dominated by Fidesz polling at 53–67% that month, followed by either the ruling Hungarian Socialist Party at 12–22% or newcomer Jobbik (Movement for a Better Hungary) at 11–18%.[5][6]

Opinion polls

Election Party preferences in percentage
(What percentage of eligible voters would have voted for the party)
Agency Date Fidesz MSZP Jobbik MDF LMP SZDSZ KDNP Other
Medián[7] 25 November 2009 66 19 10 2 1 1 n/a 1
Tárki[8] 25 November 2009 68 17 11 1 1 1 2 n/a
Századvég-Forsense[9] 26 November 2009 59 20 12 3 3 1 n/a 3
Tárki[10] 16 December 2009 63 19 12 1 3 1 n/a n/a
Századvég-Forsense[11] 21 December 2009 64 17 9 3 2 0 n/a 4
Medián[12] 25 December 2009 61 23 9 2 1 1 n/a 3
Szonda Ipsos[13] 17 January 2010 63 21 12 2 n/a 1 0 1
Forsense[14] 21 January 2010 59 17 15 5 3 n/a n/a n/a
Medián[15] 21 January 2010 65 19 10 3 1 0 n/a 2
Századvég-Kód[16] 26 January 2010 59 23 10 4 2 1 1 n/a
Tárki[17] 27 January 2010 62 22 11 3 1 1 n/a n/a
Szonda Ipsos[18] 12 February 2010 58 22 14 2 1 1 0 3
Századvég-Kód[19] 18 February 2010 58 23 10 5 3 1 - -
Forsense[20] 22 February 2010 59 18 14 2 5 0 n/a 1
Medián[21] 24 February 2010 63 18 15 2 1 n/a n/a 1
Tárki[22] 3 March 2010 61 22 11 2 3 n/a n/a 1
Szonda Ipsos[23] 11 March 2010 57 20 17 1 3 1 0 1
Nézőpont Intézet[24] 14 March 2010 53 12 12 2 2 n/a n/a 0
Medián[25] 17 March 2010 57 21 18 1 2 n/a n/a 1
Szonda Ipsos[26] 18 March 2010 64 12 13 3 5 n/a n/a 3
Gallup[27] 25 March 2010 67 15 14 1 4 n/a n/a 0
Századvég-Kód[28] 29 March 2010 59 16 17 3 3 n/a n/a n/a

Controversies

Following the EU elections of 2009, trends showed the rise of right-wing parties and particularly the far right. In this vein, the foreign media cited ominous trends concerning the election results. Fidesz Member of Parliament Oszkár Molnár said that: "I love Hungary, I love Hungarians, and I prefer Hungarian interests to global financial capital, or Jewish capital, if you like, which wants to devour the whole world, but especially Hungary." He later said that, it was only a response to a Shimon Peres speech in which Peres said that his country aims to "colonise" Hungary when he spoke of Israel's investments abroad, Peres said that Israel was "buying out Manhattan, Poland, Hungary...."[29][30] Jobbik leader, Gábor Vona, also stirred up controversy with allegations of chauvinism by saying "Hungary is for Hungarians" and must be defended against "foreign speculators". Molnar also claimed that the language of instruction in Jerusalem schools was Hungarian and they were "learning the language of their future homeland". His party at the time, Fidesz, did not denounce his statement but simply said it was "embarrassing". Adding that he would not even consider ousting Molnar from his party or parliamentary faction, as the remark "did not violate the party's bylaws".[31] However, in 2010 he was excluded from the Fidesz, due to these remarks. Instead of him, a Lebanese-origin doctor, Pierre Daher became the Fidesz candidate. Molnár also claimed that pregnant Roma women deliberately try to induce birth defects so they can give birth to "fools to receive higher family subsidies. I have checked this and it’s true; they hit their bellies with a rubber hammer so that they’ll give birth to handicapped kids." In 2011, he denounced Roma women at the Hungarian police authorities.[32]

Another Fidesz parliamentarian, Ilona Ékes, wrote to the police to ban a gay pride event in Budapest, saying that homosexuality was a mental illness and demonstrators would scandalise people, as they did in previous years, when homosexual activists imitated sexual intercourse on stage and other activists were allegedly blasphemous.[33][34] According to Ékes, the demonstrations would harm youngsters, whose school season was to start on the same day.[35]

A Hungarian analyst was cited as saying Fidesz tolerates such provocative rhetoric from its members because of fears they would vote for Jobbik instead.

Foreign interference

Former Jobbik MEP Krisztina Morvai wrote an open letter[36] to Eleni Tsakopoulos Kounalakis, the United States ambassador, after her controversial visit to the headquarters of the principal three parties other than Jobbik, while not visiting that of Jobbik, on the night of the election. This was answered[37] by Richard Field, an American businessman living in Hungary, who is a large financial supporter of Politics Can Be Different.

Results

2010 Hungarian parliamentary election, first round: First-placed candidates by parties in the single-seat constituencies:
██ = majority won by Fidesz-KDNP(119)
██ = plurality, Fidesz-KDNP (56)
██ = plurality, MSZP (1)
2010 Hungarian parliamentary election, first round: second-place candidates by parties in the single-seat constituencies
██ = MSZP (112)
██ = Jobbik (60)
██ = Somogyért Szövetség (1)
██ = Fidesz-KDNP (1)
██ = independent candidate (2)
Summary of the 11 and 25 April 2010 parliamentary election results
Parties Votes Seats
Regional District (round 1) Regional District
(round 1+2)
National Total
# % # % # ±
FideszKDNP 2,703,857 52.7 2,729,327 53.4 87 173 3
263 / 386
Increase99
  Hungarian Socialist Party 989,609 19.3 1,087,097 21.3 28 2 29
59 / 386
Decrease131
  Jobbik 854,745 16.7 835,841 16.4 26 0 21
47 / 386
Increase47
  Politics Can Be Different 382,991 7.5 258,078 5.1 5 0 11
16 / 386
Increase16
  Hungarian Democratic Forum 136,695 2.7 72,695 1.4 0 0 0
0 / 386
Decrease11
  Civil Movement 45,863 0.9 34,938 0.7 0 0 0
0 / 386
New
  Hungarian Communist Workers' Party 5,606 0.1 5,668 0.1 0 0 0
0 / 386
Steady0
  Parties with less than 0.1% of the vote 8,135 0.2 49,634 1.0 0 0 0
0 / 386
  Independents 0 0.0 33,702 0.7 0 1 0
1 / 386
Increase1
Totals (Turnout 64.4%) 5,127,501 100.0 5,107,471 100.0 146 176 64
386 / 386
Steady 0

Turnout

Round 1[38]
7:00 9:00 11:00 13:00 15:00 17:30 Overall
1.61% 10.23% 24.78% 35.88% 46.78% 59.28% 64.36%
Round 2[38]
7:00 9:00 11:00 13:00 15:00 17:30 Overall
1.36% 8.50% 19.37% 27.11% 33.54% 41.89% 46.52%

Post-election controversies

Four Jobbik MPs—Gábor Staudt, Gergő Balla, Zsolt Endrésik and Péter Schön—were removed from their committees because they had failed a vetting procedure that asked whether any MP's maintain contact with groups that engage in "activities that deny the basic principles of a state governed by the rule of law." Staudt, a co-founder of the Magyar Gárda Society—that was banned in 2007—had been on the national security committee, while the other three were on the defence and law enforcement committees. Staudt reacted in saying he found the result to be unconstitutional, and that he would file a criminal report with the interior minister against Defence of the Constitution Office director general László Balajti. The four would, however, continue to be MPs.[39]

References

  1. The nominee for the post of Prime Minister, not the party leader
  2. Hungary to hold general election on April 11
  3. valsztas.hu
  4. MTI. "MDF, SZDSZ plan election cooperation in Budapest". Politics.Hu. Retrieved 2010-04-12.
  5. MTI (2010-02-25). "Fidesz still forecast to win two-thirds majority at elections". Politics.Hu. Retrieved 2010-04-12.
  6. MTI (2010-02-25). "New poll reveals Fidesz leading firmly, voter activity rising". Politics.Hu. Retrieved 2010-04-12.
  7. Medián
  8. Tárki
  9. Századvég-Forsense
  10. Tárki
  11. Századvég-Forsense
  12. Medián
  13. Szonda Ipsos
  14. Forsense
  15. Medián
  16. Századvég-Kód
  17. Tárki
  18. Szonda Ipsos
  19. Századvég-Kód
  20. Forsense
  21. Medián
  22. Tárki
  23. Szonda Ipsos
  24. Nézőpont Intézet
  25. Medián
  26. Szonda Ipsos
  27. Gallup
  28. Századvég-Kód
  29. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1100939.html
  30. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JL4Cu-K17vE
  31. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1121973.html
  32. http://www.origo.hu/itthon/20100111-harom-napon-belul-dont-az-ugyeszseg-molnar-oszkar-feljelenteserol.html
  33. http://www.google.com/imgres?q=melegfelvonul%C3%A1s,+pap&um=1&hl=hu&client=ubuntu&hs=0en&channel=fs&biw=1255&bih=830&tbm=isch&tbnid=Tjnu6eNtCKpKFM:&imgrefurl=http://www.sg.hu/listazas.php3%253Fid%253D1183894812&docid=WLylKZHWnKfx5M&w=400&h=295&ei=IjtBTo_rJo-w8QO2n_TiCQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=371&vpy=108&dur=233&hovh=193&hovw=262&tx=189&ty=122&page=1&tbnh=166&tbnw=218&start=0&ndsp=19&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0
  34. http://www.google.com/imgres?q=melegfelvonul%C3%A1s,+pap&um=1&hl=hu&client=ubuntu&hs=0en&channel=fs&biw=1255&bih=830&tbm=isch&tbnid=pb-FPNds-SIPzM:&imgrefurl=http://solinthar.freeblog.hu/tags/felvonul%2525C3%2525A1s/&docid=pacF2t5-ek8FTM&w=289&h=400&ei=IjtBTo_rJo-w8QO2n_TiCQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=859&vpy=362&dur=410&hovh=264&hovw=191&tx=134&ty=158&page=1&tbnh=166&tbnw=119&start=0&ndsp=19&ved=1t:429,r:17,s:0
  35. http://www.nol.hu/belfold/20090829-ekes_ilona__a_melegek__quot_gyogyitoja_quot_
  36. Krisztina Morvai's letter to the American ambassador to Hungary
  37. Dear Krisztina Morvai
  38. 1 2 Informative Data on the Number and Proportion of Those Turning out at the Parliamentary Elections
  39. http://www.xpatloop.com/news/64539

External links

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