Hungarian presidential election referendum, 1990

Last updated
Coat of Arms of Hungary.svg
This article is part of a series on the
politics and government of
Hungary
Foreign relations

A referendum on introducing direct elections for the Presidency was held in Hungary on 29 July 1990. [1] Although the proposal was supported by 85.9% of voters, turnout was just 14%, resulting in the referendum being declared invalid. [2] As a result, the President continued to be elected by the National Assembly.

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.

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.

Results

ChoiceVotes%
For926,82385.9
Against152,07614.1
Invalid/blank votes9,069
Total1,087,968100
Registered voters/turnout7,820,16114.0
Source: Nohlen & Stöver

Related Research Articles

2000 French constitutional referendum

A constitutional referendum was held in France on 24 September 2000. The proposals would result in the mandate of the President being reduced from seven years to five years in line with terms in office in other European countries. It was approved by 73.2% of voters, although turnout was just 30.2%.

1939 Danish Folketing election

Folketing elections were held in Denmark on 3 April 1939, except in the Faroe Islands where they were held on 19 April. They followed a dissolution of both chambers in order to call a referendum on changing the constitution. The referendum was held on 23 May but failed due to a low voter turnout. The result of the elections was a victory for the Social Democratic Party, which won 64 of the 149 seats. Voter turnout was 79.2% in Denmark proper and 47.8% in the Faroes.

May 1946 French constitutional referendum

A constitutional referendum was held in France on 5 May 1946. Voters were asked whether they approved of a new draft Constitution proposed by the Constituent Assembly elected in 1945.

1962 French Évian Accords referendum

A referendum to approve the Évian Accords ending the Algerian War and granting self-determination to Algeria was held in France on 8 April 1962. It was approved by 90.8% of voters with a 75.3% turnout.

1993 Andorran parliamentary election

Parliamentary elections were held in Andorra on 12 December 1993. Following the adoption of a new constitution by a referendum earlier in the year, they were the first elections in which political parties were allowed to run. The result was a victory for the National Democratic Group, which won eight seats, and its leader Òscar Ribas Reig remained Prime Minister. Voter turnout was 81.0%.

1946 Bulgarian republic referendum

A referendum on becoming a republic was held in Bulgaria on 8 September 1946. The result was 95.6% in favour of the change, with voter turnout reported to be 91.7%. Following the referendum, a republican constitution was introduced the following year.

1999 Italian referendum

A referendum on the electoral law was held in Italy on 18 April 1999. Voters were asked whether they approved of replacing the mixed-member proportional representation electoral system with one based solely on single-member constituencies, with the 25% of seats instead allocated to the second-placed in the constituencies with the most votes. The proposal was supported by larger parties, but opposed by smaller ones. Although the proposal was approved by 91.5% of voters, turnout was only 49.6%, resulting in the referendum being invalidated as the threshold of 50% was not passed.

2005 Sammarinese electoral law referendum

A referendum on the electoral law was held in San Marino on 3 July 2005. Voters were asked four questions on changes to the electoral law and electoral system. Although all four were approved by a majority of those voting, voter turnout was just 21.7%, meaning that the quorum of 32% of registered voters (10,143) was not achieved for any question. This resulted in all four questions failing, including two that proposed raising the quorum to 40%.

A two-part referendum was held in Switzerland on 23 May 1875. A new federal law establishing and certifying civil status and marriage was narrowly approved, whilst a new federal law on suffrage was narrowly rejected.

Two referendums were held in Switzerland in 1887. The first was held on 15 May, asking voters whether they approved of a federal law on spirits, and was approved by 65.9% of voters. The second was held on 10 July, asking voters whether they approved of an amendment made to article 64 of the federal constitution, and was approved by 77.9% of voters and 20.5 cantons.

A referendum on a federal law on insolvency and debt was held in Switzerland on 17 November 1889. The new law was approved by 52.9% of voters.

A referendum on a war tax was held in Switzerland on 6 June 1915. Voters were asked whether they approved of amending the constitution to introduce a one-off war tax. It was approved by a large majority of voters and all cantons, the first time a referendum had been passed in every canton.

A referendum on foodstuffs was held in Switzerland on 10 June 1906. Voters were asked whether they approved of a new federal law concerning foodstuffs and basic commodities. The proposal was approved by 62.6% of voters.

A referendum on the armed forces was held in Switzerland on 3 November 1907. Voters were asked whether they approved of the organisation of the federal armed forces. The proposal was approved by 55.2% of voters.

A referendum on employment protection was held in Switzerland on 17 February 1924. Voters were asked whether they approved of an amendment to the federal employment protection law. The proposal was rejected by 57.6% of voters.

A referendum on public order was held in Switzerland on 11 March 1934. Voters were asked whether they approved of a federal law on maintaining public order. The proposal was rejected by 53.8% of voters.

A referendum on unfair competition was held in Switzerland on 29 October 1944. Voters were asked whether they approved of a new federal law on unfair competition. The proposal was approved by 52.9% of voters.

A referendum on the sugar industry was held in Switzerland on 14 March 1948. Voters were asked whether they approved of a federal resolution on the reorganisation of the Swiss sugar industry. The proposal was rejected by 63.8% of voters.

Two referendums were held in Switzerland during 1918. The first was held on 2 June on introducing a direct federal tax, and was rejected by a majority of voters and cantons. The second was held on 13 October 1918 on introducing proportional representation for National Council elections, and was approved by a majority of voters and cantons. As a result, proportional representation was introduced in the 1919 elections.

Four referendums were held in Switzerland in 1981. The first was held on 5 April on a popular initiative "for a new policy on foreigners." Known as the "Mitenand Initiative", it was rejected by 84% of voters. The next two referendums were held on 14 June on popular initiatives for gender equality and the protection of consumer rights, both of which were approved. The final referendum was held on 29 November on prolonging the federal finance order, and was also approved.

References

  1. Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p899 ISBN   978-3-8329-5609-7
  2. Nohlen & Stöver, p912