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How Hungary’s electoral system works & how parliament is formed

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In Hungary, elections are held every four years in spring, typically in April. Constitutionally. the President decides on the date and announces it at least 72 days prior. Because the next election is expected on Sunday, 12th of April 2026, it would be officially announced in January. Although the date is at the President’s discretion, given the current President Tamás Sulyok was appointed by Fidesz the chosen date would align likely with Fidesz’s political strategy.

How are Members of Parliament elected?

The National Assembly is made up of 199 seats. Hungarians cast two votes (on two different ballot papers) as there are two different voting systems that run in parallel used to elect these 199 Members of Parliament (MPs):

1) Firstly, you vote for a candidate in your district. 106 of the 199 seats go to the candidates who win their local district. These “single-member districts” use the first-past-the-post system meaning the person with the most votes wins. Hungarian citizens who do not have an official registered address cannot vote in this ballot.

2) At the same time, you also vote for your preferred party in the national list vote. For the other 93 of the 199 seats, each party submits a long list of additional candidates (separate to the local members) and a proportion of those gets in based on the proportion of the total vote each party wins of the national list votes. In a twist, Hungary also uses a system called “compensation” where votes cast for losing candidates and surplus votes for winning candidates (above what they needed to win their seat) in single-member districts are not “wasted” instead they are added to each party’s national list tally. Hungarian citizens who do not have a registered address can only vote in this ballot.

To be eligible to have someone on your national party list get into parliament, the party must get at least 5% of the total list vote. Coalition lists of 2 parties need 10%, and 3 or more parties need 15%. In addition, to put forward a national list, a party must field candidates in at least 71 districts of the 106 across at least 14 counties + Budapest.

Interestingly, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has never gotten into parliament by winning a local district seat, instead he leads the Fidesz national party list, so he gets in based on that. Opposition leader Péter Magyar has said he will run as a local candidate in Budapest’s 3rd electoral district thereby getting a direct mandate from voters if he wins – unlike Orbán.

Who forms government?

After the election, the party (or coalition) with a majority of seats in the National Assembly can form a government. A majority means winning at least 100 of the 199 seats.

What happens if it’s a close election?

If no party or coalition reaches 100 seats, the parliament is “hung.” With no clear majority, the President can choose which party to nominate to have the first go at forming a coalition to get above the 100-seat threshold. 

For example, if

  • Party A has 95 seats
  • Party B has 90 seats
  • Party C has 14 seats

the president could initially nominate the leader of Party B to try to form a coalition—even though Party A has slightly more seats. This “first move” can influence coalition negotiations and impact the outcome. 

The current President’s term runs until 2029. He was appointed by Fidesz so it will be interesting to see if he plays his role straight down the line if Tisza wins a close election. Of course, refusing to follow parliamentary norms could cause a political crisis but it’s within the Presidential powers to favour Fidesz.

How is the Prime Minister chosen?

The President formally nominates the Prime Minister. By convention, it’s usually the leader of the majority party or coalition. The nominee must then be approved by a vote in the National Assembly. A simple majority of MPs is sufficient. Once approved by parliament, the President officially appoints the Prime Minister, who then forms a cabinet.

There are no term limits on the Prime Minister, although Magyar has said he will bring in a two-term limit if the Tisza Party wins. By the election, Orbán will have been Prime Minister for a grand total of 20 years.

How has Fidesz gotten 2/3 majorities in the parliament?

It’s a common misconception that because Fidesz has had a series of two-thirds majorities in the Hungarian parliament, that means it received two-thirds of the vote. This is far from the truth.

Here are the last four election results:

  • 2010: Fidesz–KDNP won 52.7% of the vote → 68% of seats
  • 2014: Fidesz–KDNP won 44.9% of the vote → 66% of seats
  • 2018: Fidesz–KDNP won 49.3% of the vote → 67% of seats
  • 2022: Fidesz–KDNP won 54.1% of the vote → 68% of seats


As you can see, in none of these elections did Fidesz ever receive two-thirds of the popular vote — yet under Hungary’s electoral rules, those vote shares consistently translated into a two-thirds supermajority of seats.

How? It’s the result of a combination of factors, including:

  • Hungary’s mixed electoral system is tilted in favor of the largest party. About half the seats come from single-member districts, where first-past-the-post voting often magnifies the winner’s advantage.
  • Opposition votes have in the past been split among multiple parties, allowing Fidesz to win districts (and therefore seats) with far less than 50% of the vote.
  • Fidesz redrew constituency boundaries in 2011 in a way that benefits its candidates and also changed voting rules to amplify its advantage.
  • Votes cast for losing candidates as well as surplus votes for winning candidates in single-member districts are “recycled” into the national list system—a tweak that can compound the winners allocation of seats.

 

Fidesz has never won two-thirds of the popular vote. Its parliamentary supermajorities are a product of the electoral system and quite a bit of political engineering, not overwhelming voter endorsement. You can read about all the ways the deck is stacked in Fidesz’s favour here.

Is voting compulsory in Hungary?

No, voting is not compulsory in Hungary, and turnout is usually around 60-70%. There are different ways to vote depending on whether you have a registered address in Hungary or not. You can read about how to vote here.

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