2010 Hungarian Parliamentary Elections

The President of the Republic of Hungary has set the date for the 2010 election of members to the Hungarian Parliament. The first round is set for Sunday, 11 April 2010, the second round will be on Sunday, 25 April 2010.

Voting can only be done in person, that is Hungarian citizens in New Zealand who are eligible to vote can only do so in person in Canberra, Australia.

If you are abroad (ie outside of Hungary) on the day of the elections on either the first and/or the second round – and you are a Hungarian citizen registered with a permanent place of residence in Hungary — you may vote at an Embassy or Consulate General of the Republic of Hungary. For that purpose you may request your enrolment on the foreign representation voters’ list from the head of the local election office operated in the district of your residence (i.e. from the town notary), until 19 March 2010, either personally or by proxy through a designated representative. You can also submit your request by registered mail, as long as it arrives at the local election office by 19 March 2010.
If following your registration on the foreign representation voters’ list you change your mind and decide to vote in Hungary after all, you can — by 19 March 2010 —similarly request that the head of the local election office operated in the district of your residence delete your name from the foreign representation voters’ list and enrol you in the election district of your residence once again.
If following your registration on the foreign representation voters’ list you wish to change the location of your voting abroad, you can — by 19 March 2010 — request that head of the local election office operated in the district of your residence transfer you to another foreign representation voters’ list.

Method of Voting at Foreign Representations

Voting can only be done in person. Hungarian citizens in New Zealand can only vote in Australia at the Hungarian Embassy in Canberra, 17 Beale Crescent, Deakin, ACT 2600, Canberra. The first round will take place on 4 April 2010 between 6am and 7pm, the second round on 25 April 2010, also between 6am and 7pm.
Voting is organised by the foreign representation election office. The Foreign Representation Election Office identifies the voting citizen and whether he/she appears on the foreign representation voters’ list. The following forms of identity and home address will be accepted on the day: passport, personal identification document or a driver’s license issued after 1 January 2001.
Those unable to prove their identity, their address, and who are not on the foreign representation voters’ list will have to be refused. The Foreign Representation Election Office cannot enrol new voters on the list there and then!
If there are no obstacles to voting, the ballot counting committee will hand the voter the ballot and the envelope. The ballot must be stamped in the presence of the voter. The voter will be required to sign the voters’ list to confirm the receipt of the ballot.
Polling—booths will be available for voting. The voter fills in the voting—paper. It is only possible to validly vote for a single list, which must be marked using a pen with an “x” or a “+” sign within the circle located above the name of the chosen list! Any other type of mark will not be counted as it will be deemed invalid! The voter will then need to place the ballot in the envelope provided and seal it ( — the ballot will be invalid if the envelope is not sealed).
The member of the Foreign Representation Election Office will complete the voting declaration, which includes the name, address and personal identification number of the voter. The voter then signs the voting declaration, and the member of the foreign representation election office certifies the signature of the voter.
The sealed envelope containing the ballot will then be handed over by the voter to the member of the Foreign Representation Election Office, who puts it into another envelope together with the voting declaration in the presence of the voter, seals the envelope and hands it over to the voter. The voter will be required to sign the envelope where it was sealed and before placing it into the ballot—box.