On 1 February 2022, the European Network of Election Monitoring Organizations (ENEMO) deployed an International Election Observation Mission (IEOM) to Hungary to observe the Parliamentary Elections and Referendum of 3 April 2022.

ENEMO accredited and deployed in February nine Core Team experts, based in Budapest. The Mission was headed by Dritan Taulla. Additionally, ten long-term observers (LTOs) were deployed, in five teams, throughout the country at the beginning of March. The IEOM was reinforced by 200 short-term observers (STOs), who observed election day proceedings, starting from the opening procedures to the counting and tabulation of results, on Election Day.

This was ENEMO’s first election observation mission to Hungary. The aim of the IEOM was to improve the transparency of the electoral process, assess its integrity and compatibility with international standards for democratic elections and the Hungarian legislation, as well as provide - and advocate for - recommendations for potential areas of improvement.

The mission monitored and assessed the overall political and electoral environment, conduct of election management bodies, candidate and voter registration, campaigning, gender equity, voting and tabulation processes, electoral dispute resolution, and other aspects of the electoral process for the 3 April elections. Additionally, the process for the Referendum held on the same date as the Parliamentary Elections were observed and assessed.

In the process of monitoring, in order to receive exhaustive information ENEMO’s mission conducted 355 meetings with relevant interlocutors, including election management bodies, political parties and candidates, domestic civil society organizations and media, in addition to observing campaign activities (meetings or rallies) of election contestants.

The IEOM issued an Interim Report on 21 March and a Statement of Preliminary Findings and Conclusions on 4 April.

This Final Report is based on ENEMO’s findings from the pre-election period, Election Day and post-election developments. It contains 39 recommendations aiming at improving various shortcomings identified by ENEMO during the monitoring process. Recommendations are addressed to different stakeholders involved in elections.

ENEMO would like to express its gratitude to all the interlocutors of the IEOM, including election administration, civil society, international community, media and political entities, for their cooperation in the course of the monitoring mission.

ENEMO’s International Election Observation Mission would also like to thank the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), for financially supporting the mission.

Disclaimer: The content of the document is the sole responsibility of ENEMO and does not necessarily represent the position of the donor.