Pro-government analyst debunks electoral reform demand

In a detailed analysis of the Hungarian electoral system, a leading pro-government expert rejects recent accusations that it is undemocratic.

On Mozgástér, Miklós Szántó, a leading analyst at Alapjogokért (for basic rights) Centre, a pro-government think tank, criticises a new movement demanding proportional electoral rules for Hungary. The movement founded by opposition activist Márton Gulyás plans to launch a ‘season of civil disobedience’ if a proportional scheme is not introduced by the end of October this year. (See BudaPost, June 8.) Szántó remarks that all elections in democratic Hungary have been held under a majoritarian system. The changes the present parliamentary majority introduced meant that instead of 46 per cent of seats as before, 53 per cent are now filled by winners of individual constituencies (the rest are distributed according to votes cast for party lists). Another novelty introduced before the last elections was a first past the post system without a second-round runoff. Szántó finds it ridiculous that such internationally widely used elements should make the Hungarian electoral system undemocratic. He believes such claims by activists and artists would not even be noticed if the opposition parties were not so anaemic.

Tags: Electoral Law, protests