HUNGARIAN POLITICS

 

Municipialities and self government

The Hungarian governmental system includes 3,158 local and 19 county-level self-governments. New municipalities can be formed by local referendums. The 1990 legislation on local self-governments inspired a wave of new municipalities. Despite the unfavorable economic prospects for operating municipal councils, approximately 90 new entities had emerged by fall 2002. Pressured by the EU to approximate the subnational model of the EU financing system, Hungary has planned deep reforms, including the creation of smaller layers of local government and larger regional units. Completing these reforms will require political consent from the Right and the Left, which means that in the short term, a successful outcome is unlikely.

The process for electing local self-governments has generally been free and fair. However, in 2003 a county court rendered a local mayoral election void, citing confusing campaign materials from the MSzP-SzDSz candidate, unlawful campaigning in schools, and the organized transport of voters by the candidate’s supporter. In the run-up to the repeat elections, the opposition Fidesz-HCU contender withdrew her candidacy as a result of threatening telephone calls. This left the race without a challenger; thus the MSzP-SzDSz candidate became mayor.