The left-wing media have once again circulated a false rumour—repeatedly refuted—that the Hungarian government is planning to create single-member constituencies in Hungarian communities beyond the border, such as in Transylvania. The accusation suggests that this would be Fidesz’s way of maximizing votes, as they currently secure one seat from these areas, which could increase to nine if single-member constituencies were established.
The rumours began circulating again following a statement by Péter Magyar. According to the vice-president of the opposition Tisza party, Fidesz would create seven single-member constituencies in Transylvania, Transcarpathia, in the Hungarian populated areas of Slovakia, and Vojvodina. Independent MP Ákos Hadházy then claimed that there is a plan on former Justice Minister Judit Varga’s desk to create seven constituencies in Transylvania and two in Vojvodina. The government responded at the time by stating: ‘We don’t deal with nonsense.’
The opposition outlet Válasz Online recently reported that Fidesz might use the French model as a basis for creating cross-border districts. An anonymous source informed the portal that Fidesz is considering the aspect of the French electoral system that applies to expatriates, where non-resident French citizens can elect eleven out of 577 representatives. However, unlike Hungarian law, French law does not differentiate between expatriate and resident voters.
Index reached out to both the Prime Minister’s Office and Fidesz,
while the Government Information Centre denied the information.
The left-leaning outlet 444 contacted the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (RMDSZ) about the matter, but the party also denied any negotiations with the government regarding the issue. ‘In our opinion, it would be difficult to establish [single-member constituencies in Romania], but we believe it is possible and conceivable. There is also the question of whether the voting rights of Hungarians living beyond the border would be preserved after the amendment,’ said RMDSZ spokesman Botond Csoma.
Hungarians living outside Hungary have been able to vote in Hungarian parliamentary elections since 2014. Analyses show that in 2014, Fidesz gained one additional mandate from postal votes, none in 2018, and two in 2022, with Hungarian voters abroad consistently supporting the governing parties by more than 90 per cent.
The Hungarian left has always been suspicious of our fellow Hungarians beyond the border, and the left-wing media frequently incites hatred against them, which is likely the intent behind the current false rumours. This animosity dates back to 2004, when a referendum was held on simplifying the citizenship process for Hungarians living beyond the borders. The then-governing Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) and Ferenc Gyurcsány
launched an intensive campaign of falsehoods against them,
resulting in the referendum being invalidated. The left-wing government’s propaganda machine frightened Hungarians into believing that simplifying citizenship for their compatriots abroad would impose a significant financial burden on those living in the motherland, both socially and in terms of healthcare—a claim that was completely untrue. Gyurcsány warned that every Hungarian taxpayer would have to pay an additional 168,000 HUF per year if the referendum succeeded and if people from across the border accessed the services that citizenship provides.
The facilitated acquisition of citizenship for Hungarians living outside the borders was finally made possible by the first Orbán government in 2010, following their first two-thirds majority victory.
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