Hungarian parliamentary election, 2010

Last updated
Hungarian parliamentary election, 2010

Flag of Hungary.svg

←  2006 11 and 25 April 2010 2014  →
All 386 seats to the Országgyűlés
194 seats needed for a majority
Turnout 64.36% and 46.52%

 First partySecond party
  Orban Viktor Portrait.jpg Mesterhazy Attila 2009-12-14.JPG
Leader Viktor Orbán Attila Mesterházy
Party Fidesz–KDNP MSZP
Leader since17 May 200310 July 2010
Last election164 seats, 42.03%192 seats, 43.21%
Seats won
Seat changeIncrease2.svg 99Decrease2.svg 133
Popular vote2,706,292990,428
Percentage52.73%19.30%
SwingIncrease2.svg 10.70%Decrease2.svg 23.91%
 Third partyFourth party
  Vona Gabor.jpg Schiffer Andras (VEHIR).jpg
Leader Gábor Vona András Schiffer
Party Jobbik LMP
Leader since25 November 20062009
Last election0 seats, 2.20%–
Seats won
Seat changeIncrease2.svg 47New party
Popular vote855,436383,876
Percentage16.67%7.48%
SwingIncrease2.svg 14.47%–

Magyarorszagi valasztas 2010 egyeni eredmeny.png

Map showing winning parties
  seats won by Fidesz-KDNP (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

Hungary
Coat of Arms of Hungary.svg
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. [1] 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. [2] The electoral law does not allow all adult citizens to stand for being elected unless they can validate 500 signatures of other citizens supporting their candidacy.

Hungary Country in Central Europe

Hungary is a country in Central Europe. Spanning 93,030 square kilometres (35,920 sq mi) in the Carpathian Basin, it borders Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Austria to the northwest, Romania to the east, Serbia to the south, Croatia to the southwest, and Slovenia to the west. With about 10 million inhabitants, Hungary is a medium-sized member state of the European Union. The official language is Hungarian, which is the most widely spoken Uralic language in the world. Hungary's capital and largest city is Budapest. Other major urban areas include Debrecen, Szeged, Miskolc, Pécs and Győr.

Contents

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.

Fidesz Hungarian political party

Fidesz – Hungarian Civic Alliance is a national-conservative, right-wing populist political party in Hungary.

Christian Democratic Peoples Party (Hungary) a political party in Hungary

The Christian Democratic People's Party is a Christian-democratic political party in Hungary. It is officially a coalition partner of the ruling party, Fidesz, but is in reality a satellite party of Fidesz and has been unable to get into the Parliament on its own since 2006. For several elections prior to the pact, they had been unable to pass the election threshold of 5% of the vote. Without Fidesz, its support cannot be measured, and even a leading Fidesz politician, János Lázár, stated that Fidesz does not consider the government to be a coalition government.

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.

Ferenc Gyurcsány Hungarian politician

Ferenc Gyurcsány is a Hungarian entrepreneur and politician. He was Prime Minister of Hungary from 2004 to 2009. Prior to that, he served as Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports between 2003 and 2004.

2006 protests in Hungary protest

The 2006 protests in Hungary were a series of anti-government protests triggered by the release of Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány's private speech in which he confessed that his Hungarian Socialist Party had lied to win the 2006 election, and had done nothing worth mentioning in the previous four years of governing. Most of the events took place in Budapest and other major cities between 17 September and 23 October. It was the first sustained protest in Hungary since 1989.

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. [3] 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%. [4] [5]

Hungarian Socialist Party political party in Hungary

The Hungarian Socialist Party, known mostly by its acronym MSZP, is a social-democratic political party in Hungary.

Jobbik Hungarian political party

The Movement for a Better Hungary, commonly known as Jobbik, is a Hungarian political party with radical and nationalist roots. At its beginnings the party described itself as "a principled, conservative and radically patriotic Christian party", whose "fundamental purpose" is the protection of "Hungarian values and interests." The party has been described as an "anti-Semitic organization" by The Independent and a "neo-Nazi party" by the president of the European Jewish Congress. Philosopher Ágnes Heller, a Holocaust survivor, says that Jobbik has never been a neo-Nazi party, although she described them as far-right and racist.

Opinion polls

Election Party preferences in percentage
(What percentage of eligible voters would have voted for the party)
AgencyDate Fidesz MSZP Jobbik MDF LMP SZDSZ KDNP Other
Medián [6] 25 November 2009661910211n/a1
Tárki [7] 25 November 20096817111112n/a
Századvég-Forsense [8] 26 November 2009592012331n/a3
Tárki [9] 16 December 2009631912131n/an/a
Századvég-Forsense [10] 21 December 200964179320n/a4
Medián [11] 25 December 200961239211n/a3
Szonda Ipsos [12] 17 January 20106321122n/a101
Forsense [13] 21 January 201059171553n/an/an/a
Medián [14] 21 January 2010651910310n/a2
Századvég-Kód [15] 26 January 20105923104211n/a
Tárki [16] 27 January 2010622211311n/an/a
Szonda Ipsos [17] 12 February 201058221421103
Századvég-Kód [18] 18 February 2010582310531--
Forsense [19] 22 February 2010591814250n/a1
Medián [20] 24 February 201063181521n/an/a1
Tárki [21] 3 March 201061221123n/an/a1
Szonda Ipsos [22] 11 March 201057201713101
Nézőpont Intézet [23] 14 March 201053121222n/an/a0
Medián [24] 17 March 201057211812n/an/a1
Szonda Ipsos [25] 18 March 201064121335n/an/a3
Gallup [26] 25 March 201067151414n/an/a0
Századvég-Kód [27] 29 March 201059161733n/an/an/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...." [28] [29] 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".[ citation needed ] 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". [30] 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.[ original research? ] 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. [31]

Oszkár Molnár is a Hungarian politician and has been member of the National Assembly (MP) between 1998 and 2014.

Shimon Peres Israeli politician, 8th prime minister and 9th president of Israel

Shimon Peres was an Israeli politician who served as the ninth President of Israel (2007–2014), the Prime Minister of Israel (twice), and the Interim Prime Minister, in the 1970s to the 1990s. He was a member of twelve cabinets and represented five political parties in a political career spanning 70 years. Peres was elected to the Knesset in November 1959 and except for a three-month-long hiatus in early 2006, was in office continuously until he was elected President in 2007. At the time of his retirement in 2014, he was the world's oldest head of state and was considered the last link to Israel's founding generation.

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. [32] [33] According to Ékes, the demonstrations would harm youngsters, whose school season was to start on the same day.[ clarification needed ] [34]

Ilona Ékes Hungarian politician

Ilona Ékes is a Hungarian politician, member of the National Assembly (MP) from Budapest Regional List between 2010 and 2014. She was also a Member of Parliament from her party, the Fidesz's National List between 2006 and 2010.

Gay pride positive stance against discrimination and violence toward LGBT people

Gay pride or LGBT pride is the positive stance against discrimination and violence toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people to promote their self-affirmation, dignity, equality rights, increase their visibility as a social group, build community, and celebrate sexual diversity and gender variance. Pride, as opposed to shame and social stigma, is the predominant outlook that bolsters most LGBT rights movements throughout the world. Pride has lent its name to LGBT-themed organizations, institutes, foundations, book titles, periodicals and even a cable TV station and the Pride Library.

Sexual intercourse any act of set of actions performed for reproduction, sexual pleasure or both

Sexual intercourse is principally the insertion and thrusting of the penis, usually when erect, into the vagina for sexual pleasure, reproduction, or both. This is also known as vaginal intercourse or vaginal sex. Other forms of penetrative sexual intercourse include anal sex, oral sex, fingering, and penetration by use of a dildo. These activities involve physical intimacy between two or more individuals and are usually used among humans solely for physical or emotional pleasure and can contribute to human bonding.

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

Foreign interference

Former Jobbik MEP Krisztina Morvai wrote an open letter [35] 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.

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) Magyarorszagi valasztas 2010 gyoztes egyeni jeloltek elso fordulo.png
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) ## = Somogyert Szovetseg (1) ## = Fidesz-KDNP (1) ## = independent candidate (2) Magyarorszagi valasztas 2010 masodik helyezett egyeni jeloltek partallasa.png
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)
Hungarian parliamentary election, 2010.svg
PartiesVotesSeats
RegionalDistrict (round 1)RegionalDistrict
(round 1+2)		NationalTotal
#%#%#±
Fidesz–KDNP 2,703,85752.72,729,32753.4871733263Increase2.svg99
  Hungarian Socialist Party 989,60919.31,087,09721.32822959Decrease2.svg131
  Jobbik 854,74516.7835,84116.42602147Increase2.svg47
  Politics Can Be Different 382,9917.5258,0785.1501116Increase2.svg16
  Hungarian Democratic Forum 136,6952.772,6951.40000Decrease2.svg11
  Civil Movement 45,8630.934,9380.70000New
  Hungarian Communist Workers' Party 5,6060.15,6680.10000Steady2.svg0
 Parties with less than 0.1% of the vote8,1350.249,6341.00000
 Independents00.033,7020.70101Increase2.svg1
Totals (Turnout 64.4%)5,127,501100.05,107,471100.014617664386Steady2.svg 0

Turnout

Round 1 [36]
7:009:0011:0013:0015:0017:30Overall
1.61%10.23%24.78%35.88%46.78%59.28%64.36%
Round 2 [36]
7:009:0011:0013:0015:0017:30Overall
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. [37]

Related Research Articles

Péter Medgyessy Hungarian politician

Péter Medgyessy is a Hungarian politician and was the Prime Minister of the Republic of Hungary from 27 May 2002 until 29 September 2004. On 25 August 2004 he resigned over disputes with coalition partner Alliance of Free Democrats, but remained caretaker Prime Minister for a 30-day period as required by the Constitution, and a few additional days until his successor Ferenc Gyurcsány was confirmed by Parliament.

National Assembly (Hungary) parliament of Hungary

The National Assembly is the parliament of Hungary. The unicameral body consists of 199 members elected to 4-year terms. Election of members is based on a complex system involving both area and list election; parties must win at least 5% of the popular vote in order to enter the list of members of the assembly. The Assembly includes 25 standing committees to debate and report on introduced bills and to supervise the activities of the ministers. The Constitutional Court of Hungary has the right to challenge legislation on the grounds of constitutionality. The assembly has met in the Hungarian Parliament Building in Budapest since 1902.

The Alliance of Free Democrats – Hungarian Liberal Party was a liberal political party in Hungary.

Democratic Coalition (Hungary) political party

The Democratic Coalition is a social-liberal political party in Hungary led by former Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány. Founded in 2010 as a faction within the Socialist Party (MSZP), the Democratic Coalition split from the MSZP on 22 October 2011 and became a separate party. It has nine MPs in the National Assembly and two MEPs in the European Parliament.

Krisztina Morvai Hungarian politician

Krisztina Morvai is a Hungarian lawyer and nationalist politician. She is a Member of the European Parliament (MEP), having been elected on the list of the political party Jobbik – Movement for a Better Hungary in the 2009 European Parliament elections. Morvai is not a member of Jobbik, and currently supports Fidesz.

Politics Can Be Different Hungarian green liberal political party, founded in 2009

Politics Can Be Different is a green political party in Hungary. Founded in 2009, it was one of four parties to win seats in the National Assembly in the 2010 parliamentary election. The party is a member of the European Green Party.

2010 Hungarian presidential election election

An indirect presidential election was held in Hungary on 29 June 2010. The Prime Minister's nominee Pál Schmitt was elected by an absolute majority.

Sándor Fazekas Hungarian politician

Sándor Fazekas is a Hungarian jurist and politician. He served as Minister of Rural Development, then Minister of Agriculture from 2010 to 2018, in the second and third cabinets of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. He served as mayor of his hometown, Karcag between 1990 and 2010.

Hungarian local elections, 2006 took place on 1 October 2006 amidst a period of protests and demonstrations against the government of Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány. In many cities, demonstrators urged people not to vote for the MSZP candidate at the elections, and Fidesz made heavy use of the fact that Gyurcsány had admitted lying in its campaign leaflets and phone calls.

2012 Hungarian presidential election

An early indirect presidential election was held in Hungary on 2 May 2012, following the resignation of Pál Schmitt as President of Hungary on 2 April 2012. János Áder was elected President with an absolute majority.

Leader of the Opposition (Hungary) parliamentary position in Hungary

The Opposition in Hungary is the body of political parties represented in the parliament which are not a part of the government supported by the parliamentary majority.

2014 European Parliament election in Hungary

The European Parliament election, 2014 for the election of the delegation from Hungary to the European Parliament was held on 25 May 2014.

Hungarian Liberal Party

Hungarian Liberal Party is a liberal political party in Hungary that was formed on 27 April 2013 and is led by Gábor Fodor, a former MP and president of the Alliance of Free Democrats (SZDSZ).

2014 Hungarian parliamentary election

The 2014 Hungarian parliamentary election took place on 6 April 2014. This parliamentary election was the 7th since the 1990 first multi-party election. The result was a victory for the Fidesz–KDNP alliance, preserving its two-thirds majority, with Viktor Orbán remaining Prime Minister. It was the first election under the new Constitution of Hungary which came into force on 1 January 2012. The new electoral law also entered into force that day. For the first time since Hungary's transition to democracy, the election had a single round. The voters elected 199 MPs instead of the previous 386 lawmakers.

József Tóbiás Hungarian politician

József Tóbiás is a Hungarian politician, who served as the leader of the Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) from 19 July 2014 to 25 June 2016. He has been also a Member of Parliament since 1998.

2016 Hungarian migrant quota referendum

A referendum related to the European Union's migrant relocation plans was held in Hungary on 2 October 2016. The referendum was initiated by the government, under the provision of article 8 of the new constitution of 2012. It was commonly referred to as the kvótanépszavazás or kvótareferendum in the Hungarian media.

Fidesz–KDNP Party Alliance, formerly also known as the Alliance of Hungarian Solidarity is a right-wing national conservative political alliance of two political parties in Hungary, the Fidesz – Hungarian Civic Alliance (Fidesz) and the Christian Democratic People's Party (KDNP). The two parties jointly contested every national elections since the 2006 parliamentary election. The Fidesz–KDNP party alliance has governed Hungary since 2010, altogether obtaining a two-thirds majority in each 2010, 2014 and 2018 national elections.

References

  1. ↑ "Earth Times: Hungary to hold general election on April 11". Earthtimes.org. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  2. ↑ [ dead link ]
  3. ↑ "MDF, SZDSZ plan election cooperation in Budapest". Politics.Hu. Retrieved 2010-04-12.
  4. ↑ "Fidesz still forecast to win two-thirds majority at elections". Politics.Hu. 2010-02-25. Retrieved 2010-04-12.
  5. ↑ "New poll reveals Fidesz leading firmly, voter activity rising". Politics.Hu. 2010-02-25. Retrieved 2010-04-12.
  6. ↑ "A pártok támogatottsága novemberben". Median.hu. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  7. ↑ "TÁRKI - Sajtóközlemények". Tarki.hu. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  8. ↑ "Századvég-Forsense". Szazadveg.hu. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  9. ↑ "TÁRKI - Sajtóközlemények". Tarki.hu. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  10. ↑ "Századvég-Forsense". Szazadveg.hu. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  11. ↑ "Szűkülő olló". Median.hu. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  12. ↑ Gábor, Angyal (17 January 2010). "Az MSZP-t sújtja a lanyha választási kedv". Nol.hu. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  13. ↑ "Forsense: Az MSZP alig előzi meg a Jobbikot". Origo.hu. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  14. ↑ "Trendetlenség". Median.hu. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  15. ↑ "Századvég-Kód". Szazadveg.hu. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  16. ↑ "TÁRKI - Sajtóközlemények". Tarki.hu. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  17. ↑ "A Fidesz rontott, a Jobbik történelmi csúcson". Nol.hu. 12 February 2010. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  18. ↑ "Századvég-Kód". Szazadveg.hu. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  19. ↑ "Forsense » Fenyegető környezeti problémák". Forsense.hu. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  20. ↑ "Nő a szavazókedv, erősödik a Jobbik". Hvg.hu. 24 February 2010. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  21. ↑ "TÁRKI - Sajtóközlemények". Tarki.hu. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  22. ↑ "Szonda Ipsos". Hirado.hu. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  23. ↑ [ dead link ]
  24. ↑ "Mindnyájuknak el kell menni..." Median.hu. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  25. ↑ "Kossuth". Mr1-kossuth.hu. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  26. ↑ "Analytics and Advice - Solve your organization's most pressing problems - Gallup". Gallup.hu. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  27. ↑ "Századvég-Kód". Szazadveg.hu. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  28. ↑ [ dead link ]
  29. ↑ "Israeli President: We are buying up Manhattan, Hungary, Romania and Poland". YouTube. 12 May 2008.
  30. ↑ [ dead link ]
  31. ↑ "Magzatkárosítás miatt feljelentést tett Molnár Oszkár". Origo.hu. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  32. ↑ "Átirányítási figyelmeztetés". Google.com. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  33. ↑ "Átirányítási figyelmeztetés". Google.com. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  34. ↑ Gábor, Czene (29 August 2009). "Ékes Ilona, a melegek "gyógyítója"". Nol.hu. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  35. ↑ "Krisztina Morvai's letter to the American ambassador to Hungary". Esbalogh.typepad.com. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  36. 1 2 "Informative Data on the Number and Proportion of Those Turning out at the Parliamentary Elections". Valasztas.hu. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  37. ↑ "Four Hungarian Jobbik MPs Fail Security Test - Xpatloop.com - Expat Life In Budapest, Hungary - Current affairs". Xpatloop.com. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.