2010 Hungarian parliamentary election: Difference between revisions

This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. Feel free to improve this article or discuss changes on the talk page, but please note that updates without valid and reliable references will be removed. (April 2010) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Hungarian parliamentary election, 2010

← 2006 11 and 25 April 2010 2014 →
All 386 seats to the Országgyűlés
First party Second party Third party   File:Orban viktor00.jpg File:Mesterhazy.jpg Leader Viktor Orbán Attila Mesterházy[1] Gábor Vona Party Fidesz - Hungarian Civic Union MSZP Movement for a Better Hungary Last election 164 190 0 Seats won 206 28 26 Seat change +42 −162 +26 Popular vote 5,433,184 2,076,706 1,690,586 Percentage 53.37% 19.3% 16.67%
Map showing winning/leading parties (deep orange: seats won by Fidesz)
Prime Minister before election Gordon Bajnai MSZP Subsequent Prime Minister presumably Viktor Orbán Fidesz – Hungarian Civic Union

Politics of Hungary
Constitution 1949 Constitution Constitutional Court
Executive President (list) Tamás Sulyok Government Current cabinet Prime Minister (list) Viktor Orbán
Parliament National Assembly Speaker: László Kövér Political parties Fidesz Christian Democratic People's Party (KDNP) Jobbik Politics Can Be Different (LMP) Dialogue for Hungary (PM) Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) Democratic Coalition (DK) Momentum Movement (M) Everybody's Hungary Movement (MMM) Our Homeland Movement (MH)
Recent elections Parliamentary: 2014 2018 2022 Presidential: 2017 2022 2024 Local: 2014 2019 2024 European: 2014 2019 2024
Budapest Mayor of Budapest Gergely Karácsony Mayoral elections 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2019
Administrative divisions Districts Counties Regions Subregions
Foreign relations Austria–Hungary relations China–Hungary relations France–Hungary relations Germany–Hungary relations Hungary–Italy relations Hungary–Russia relations Hungary–United Kingdom relations Hungary–United States relations Timeline of Hungary–European Union relations Politics of the European Union
Hungary portal Other countries
v t e

The parliamentary elections in Hungary 2010 were held on 11 April and 25 April 2010.^[2] They are the sixth free elections after the end of communism. The 386 members of parliament are to be elected in a combined system of party lists and electoral constituencies.^[3] In the first round of the elections, the conservative party Fidesz – Hungarian Civic Union won the absolute majority of seats, enough to form a government on its own.

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 at 11–18%.^[5][6]

Miscellaneous data:^[30]

Total polling stations: 10 926

Number of voters in the register at closing: 7 972 568

Number of voters included in the register using election certificate on the day of voting: 44 367

Number of voters in the register at the end of voting: 8 016 935

Number of voters in the foreign representations: 8 663

Total number of voters in the register: 8 025 598

Number of those turned out to vote in the domestic polling stations: 5 158 350

Number of statements about voting: 6 656

Total number of those turned out to vote: 5 165 006

Proportion of those turned out to vote: 64.36%

This article possibly contains original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations. Statements consisting only of original research should be removed. (Learn how and when to remove this message)

The governing MSZP was blamed for Hungary's current critical economic and financial situation and for the scandal around a 2006 speech of the unpopular former Prime Minster Ferenc Gyurcsány in which he admitted lying to the public about the country's economic state in the run-up to the last election in 2006. Therefore, the Socialist party suffered its worst result since the Hungarian parliamentary election, 1990.

The main opposition party, Fidesz, made a strong comeback to power after eight years in opposition. They profited from the unpopularity of the governments of Gyurcsány and his caretaker successor, Gordon Bajnai, and the harsh measures taken by the latter to bring Hungary out of the crisis. Viktor Orbán will enter a second stint as Prime Minister after governing from 1998 to 2002.

Two parties who were formed prior to and had played a major role in the Revolution of 1989 and in the transition process after the End of Communism in Hungary, the Hungarian Democratic Forum (MDF) and the Alliance of Free Democrats (SZDSZ), have continued their downward trend and failed to make it into parliament, as has the Social Democrat MSZDP.

Right-wing populist newcomer party Jobbik has jumped into third place from basically nowhere in 2006 (less than 1%), profiting from disappointment with the ruling and established parties as well as from anti-Roma and antisemitic sentiments.^{[citation needed]} Despite having gained over 16%, the result was below what some polls had suggested would be over 20%.

Even more recent newcomers LMP ("Politics can be different"), a Green party just in existence since 2009, has also made it into parliament (over 7%), gaining more votes than predicted (polls gave them around 5%).