Record Numbers of Hungarians Abroad Register for April 12 Election

Hungarian embassies and consular services have seen a huge surge in registrations to vote abroad in a parliamentary election on April 12.

Almost 91,000 Hungarian citizens have registered to cast their votes at the country’s diplomatic missions abroad, Hungarian media outlets report. 

Four years ago, the figure was a little under 65,500, of which just over 57,000 eventually cast a ballot. 

The almost 40% surge is seen as a potential boon for the opposition Tisza party, which typically attracts younger, urban and more mobile voters, fitting the profile of expatriate Hungarians. 

In past elections in Hungary, the overseas electorate has been far more critical of the incumbent government. 

This year’s parliamentary election pits pro-Moscow Viktor Orbán’s ruling Fidesz party against a grassroots opposition headed by Tisza leader Péter Magyar. 

Mobile voters 

In addition to the record number of overseas votes likely to be cast, Hungary has also seen a surge in so-called ‘transfer voting’ in which people vote away from their usual place of residence and their ballot is counted in their home constituency. 

The number of transfer votes is also a record in this election at 227,000, up from a little over 157,500 in 2022. This trend is also seen as favoring Tisza. 

The huge number of votes being cast away from home means the final vote count in next Sunday’s crunch election will likely not be known until April 18, the Daily News Hungary website commented. 

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