Government to change election rules in Hungary considerably

Rather than holding a by-election, the party which has held the mandate could nominate a new deputy, according to a draft amendment submitted by the government to parliament’s legislative committee, daily Magyar Nemzet’s online edition said on Wednesday.

The change would apply to a period of twelve months leading up to a local election. In towns with a population over 10,000, parties wishing to set up a compensations list would be required to field candidates in at least two thirds of the individual constituencies, the paper said. According to the ruling parties, with the changes, together with an earlier decision to hold the municipal elections and the EP election on the same day, some 9-10 billion forints (EUR 20m) could be saved. Parliament is set to vote on the motion next Tuesday. The EP and local elections in Hungary will be on 9 June,