Bill would make all party nominees liable for repaying campaign funds

All nominees fielded by a political party in election campaigns would be made liable for the repayment of campaign funds, under amendment proposals to the campaign finance and electoral laws submitted to parliament by ruling Fidesz.

Under Hungarian law, parties fielding a national list are entitled to state campaign funding. If the party fails to garner at least one percent of the vote in the election, it must repay the funding. In a November 2017 amendment to the campaign finance law, the leaders of political parties became personally liable for the repayment.

Under the bill submitted on Tuesday, parties which fail to account for campaign funding they received previously would not be eligible for new funding.

Another amendment proposal, also sponsored by Fidesz, aims to make voting easier for citizens by making the procedure more transparent.