1958 Hungarian parliamentary election

1958 Hungarian parliamentary election

←  1953 16 November 1958 1963  →
All 338 seats in the National Assembly
Turnout	98.38%
First party Second party   Leader János Kádár – Party MSZMP Independents Alliance HNF HNF Leader since 25 October 1956 Seats won 276 62 Seat change 70 30

Parliamentary elections were held in Hungary on 16 November 1958. ^[1] They were the first elections held after the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. The Communist Hungarian Working People's Party had been reorganized as the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party, under the leadership of a more moderate Communist, János Kádár. However, as was the case during the era of Mátyás Rákosi, voters were presented with a single list of Communists and pro-Communist independents. The Socialist Workers' Party won 276 of the 338 seats, with the remaining 62 going to independents. ^[2]

Results

Party or alliance				Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	Patriotic People's Front		Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party	6,431,832	99.56	276	+70
			Independents			62	–30
Against				28,651	0.44	–	–
Total				6,460,483	100.00	338	+40
Valid votes				6,460,483	99.49
Invalid/blank votes				33,197	0.51
Total votes				6,493,680	100.00
Registered voters/turnout				6,600,686	98.38
Source: Nohlen & Stöver

The activity of the parliament

The new parliament created the first unified civil code in Hungary in 1959, which strengthened legal certainty and remained in force until 2013. ^[3] Exploration and mining were regulated under exclusive state supervision in 1960. ^[4] General conscription was introduced and the tasks of the army were defined. ^[5] The second five-year plan with the economic goals was adopted in 1961. ^[6] The new education law required that schools prepare students for work, with a focus on natural sciences and vocational training. ^[7] A new unified criminal code was adopted, which severely punished acts classified as anti-state. ^[8] The expropriation of agricultural land for industrial and residential purposes was prohibited. ^[9] Forest and wildlife management were regulated in order to preserve ecological balance. ^[10] The legal framework for electricity supply was created in 1962, which was under exclusive state control. ^[11]

References

1. Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p899 ISBN   978-3-8329-5609-7
2. Nohlen & Stöver, p931
3. "Act IV of 1959 on the Civil Code of the Republic of Hungary" (PDF) (in Hungarian). Retrieved 12 September 2025.
4. "Act III of 1960 on Mining" (in Hungarian). Retrieved 12 September 2025.
5. "Act IV of 1960 on National defense" (in Hungarian). Retrieved 12 September 2025.
6. "Act II of 1961 on the Second Five-Year economic development plan of the Hungarian People's Republic for the period from 1 January 1961 to 31 December 1965" (in Hungarian). Retrieved 12 September 2025.
7. "Act III of 1961 on the education system of the Hungarian People's Republic" (in Hungarian). Retrieved 12 September 2025.
8. "Act V of 1961 on the Criminal Code of the Hungarian People's Republic" (in Hungarian). Retrieved 12 September 2025.
9. "Act VI of 1961 on the Protection of agricultural lands" (in Hungarian). Retrieved 12 September 2025.
10. "Act VII of 1961 on Forests and wildlife management" (in Hungarian). Retrieved 12 September 2025.
11. "Act IV of 1962 on the Development, transmission and distribution of electricity" (in Hungarian). Retrieved 12 September 2025.