Parliamentary Elections and Referendum, 3 April 2022

Following an invitation from the authorities of Hungary and in accordance with its mandate, ODIHR has deployed an Election Observation Mission (EOM) to the 3 April 2022 parliamentary elections and referendum. 

LIVESTREAM: Press conference by international election observers (starts at 14:30 CEST)

Long-term Observation

The ODIHR EOM, headed by Ambassador Jillian Stirk, consists of 14 international experts based in Budapest. In addition, 18 long-term observers will be deployed throughout the country from 5 March.

The mission will assess the elections and referendum for their compliance with OSCE commitments and other international obligations and standards, as well as with national legislation. Observers will closely monitor all aspects of the election, including possible post-election developments. Specific aspects include the implementation of the amended legal framework, candidate registration, the campaign, election dispute resolution and election media coverage. They will also assess how prior ODIHR election related recommendations have being considered. As part of the observation, the ODIHR EOM will conduct comprehensive monitoring of the media.

Election day

ODIHR will request 200 short-term observers to be deployed immediately prior to the 3 April elections and referendum. The short-term observers will be deployed throughout the country in multinational teams of two to monitor the opening of polling stations, the voting, the counting of ballots, and the tabulation of results.

The day after the elections, ODIHR, together with its parliamentary partners, will issue a statement of preliminary findings and conclusions at a press conference. A final report on the observation of the entire electoral process will be issued some months after the end of the observation mission.

Previous Elections

ODIHR has previously observed five elections in the country, most recently the 2018 parliamentary elections.