Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

European MEPs call for election observation mission to Hungary

European MEPs call for election observation mission to Hungary

Letter to head of Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights comes amid fears over democracy standards
A cross-party group of MEPs has called for a large-scale election observation mission to Hungary, citing fears about democratic standards.

Hungarians go to the polls on 3 April in parliamentary elections that will decide the fate of the incumbent prime minister, Viktor Orbán, whose last 12 years in office have seen tighter executive control over courts, a withering of independent media and widespread concerns about corruption and cronyism.

In a letter to the head of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, which checks electoral probity in 57 mostly European and central Asian states, the MEPs called for a full-scale election observation mission to Hungary.

“We come from five political groups and from 19 different countries. But we all share the concern that the elections might not be held to the highest democratic standards,” the letter to the ODIHR director, Matteo Mecacci, states.

The ODIHR, part of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, has begun a needs assessment of the mission it should send to Hungary. During Hungary’s 2018 elections it sent a limited mission, meaning it did not undertake systematic observation of voting, counting and tabulation of results. The Warsaw-based body, however, can choose to send a larger mission to carry out wider checks if it deems there is “limited confidence among election stakeholders in the election administration”.

After the 2018 vote, where Orbán’s Fidesz party won a two-thirds majority, the OSCE observers criticised “hostile and xenophobic” rhetoric, a campaign that “limited space for substantive debate” and where public television “clearly favoured the ruling coalition”, and the government’s use of public funds to tilt the election in its favour.

MEPs cited these issues and also raised the alarm about new voter registration rules, which they say make it easier for people to use fictitious addresses. “It is widely feared that [these rules] will be instrumentalised by the ruling party to increase its voter base in particularly contested regions,” the letter says.

One prominent election analyst, Daniel Hegedüs of the German Marshall fund, said earlier this month that the integrity of the 2022 contest would be worse than 2018 and 2014, elections he characterised as “free but not fair”. In April, Orbán will face a challenge from Péter Márki-Zay, a Conservative church-going father of seven, who has united six opposition parties behind his candidacy.

The letter has been signed mostly by MEPs from the Green, Social Democrat, centrist and radical left groups. A few signatories come from the centre-right European People’s party, which used to be Orbán’s political home. One notable EPP signatory is Danuta Hübner, a former EU commissioner for Poland. Several signatories are prominent in the Hungarian opposition, but support came from across the EU, including France, Germany, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Romania and Greece.

Orbán’s spokesperson, Zoltán Kovács, has dismissed warnings of a rigged election as cynical and absurd. “Voters will reelect [Orbán], I predict, because he has taken the country forward and delivered real results for Hungarians,” he wrote in a recent article on Euronews.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
Intel Reports Revenue Beats but Sees 81% Rise in Losses
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
×