National Election Commission Orders Recount of Invalid Votes in Budapest Mayoral Election

The National Election Commission (NVB) has ordered a recount of invalid votes from the recent mayoral election in Budapest. The decision, supported by a 12-4 vote, involves reopening all polling station ballot boxes in the capital to reassess the invalid votes cast.

The NVB justified this recount, citing evidence suggesting that many invalid votes should be considered valid under Act XXXVI of 2013 on election procedure. The goal is to ensure an accurate election result. The invalid ballots will be sent to the National Election Office (NVI) for recounting, starting on Friday morning. Attila Nagy, president of the NVI, stated that district election offices will deliver the invalid ballots by Thursday afternoon. Local election commission members will oversee the ballot box openings.

The recount, involving 24,592 invalid votes, is expected to be completed the same day it begins.

The NVB will follow guidelines from the Election Day Circular, stating that a vote cast for an eliminated candidate alongside another candidate should be deemed valid.

This recount was initiated following an appeal by mayoral candidate Dávid Vitézy, who contested the Budapest Election Committee’s (FVB) decision on the election results. Mr. Vitézy argued that evidence from 202 polling stations showed valid votes being wrongly invalidated. He noted that Fidesz-KDNP candidate Alexandra Szentkirályi withdrew before the legal deadline, leading to her name being crossed out on the ballots. However, inconsistent crossing out in some offices led to voter confusion.

Dávid Vitézy claimed many voters initially voted for Szentkirályi and then corrected their vote for another candidate.

He argued that in 202 polling stations, electoral commissions wrongly invalidated such ballots, impacting the election outcome. He called for the NVB to overturn the FVB’s decision and recount all invalid votes.

Four NVB delegates opposed the decision, arguing that they had insufficient time to review the proposal, and deemed the decision hasty. They believed a thorough decision-making process was necessary to ensure soundness and argued that the appeal’s evidence did not indicate a systemic error, thus not justifying a full recount. Proponents of the recount contended that determining the election’s final result promptly was in the public interest.

Via MTI; Featured Image: valasztas.hu