Budapest mayoral and assembly elections will hold on the 13th of October 2019 to elect the Mayor of Budapest and other members of the General Assembly.

Local elections will also hold on the same day throughout other districts to determine the composition of the General Assembly, which consists of the elected Mayor (Lord Mayor), the mayors of the districts and 9 members from party electoral lists.

How Budapest Assembly Elections Work

The Mayor, who is also the head of the General Assembly, is elected directly through a First-Past-the-Post voting system where the candidate who receives the most votes wins. The General Assembly of Budapest also called the Capital City Assembly, consists of 33 members – 23 mayors of the districts, 9 from the electoral lists of political parties and the Mayor of Budapest who are all elected through the same system.

Why Hungary’s Capital Has Different Elections from Hungary

The Hungarian capital city has a peculiar dual self-government system. What this means is that each of the twenty-three districts of Budapest has its own government with elected mayors and a body of representatives. The Mayor’s Office is a budgetary entity comprising of 18 departments.

Candidates and Current Polls

Three major candidates stand out in this year’s elections the most. The incumbent, Mayor István Tarlós of the KDNP, currently has the majority of the seats and is polling at 32%. Following him is opposition candidate Gergely Karácsony of Momentum who is currently polling at 5% while media personality and independent publicist, Róbert Puzsér, currently polls at 4%. The Democratic Coalition (DK) stands at 8%, Jobbik at7% and the Socialist Party at 5%.

Tarlós’ strongest opposition, Karácsony, has the support of five opposition parties, three liberal parties, as well as the socialists and the greens. 

Each term for the mayor and assembly members lasts for five years.