European Parliament election, 2014 (Hungary)

European Parliament election in Hungary, 2014
Hungary
25 May 2014
All 21 Hungarian seats to the European Parliament
Turnout 28.97%[1]
  Majority party Minority party Third party
 
Leader Viktor Orbán Gábor Vona Attila Mesterházy
Party Fidesz Jobbik MSZP
Alliance EPP NI S&D
Last election 14 seats, 56.37% 3 seats, 14.77% 4 seats, 17.37%
Seats won 12 3 2
Seat change Decrease 2 Steady Decrease 2
Popular vote 1,193,991 340,287 252,751
Percentage 51.48% 14.67% 10.9%
  Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party
 
Leader Ferenc Gyurcsány Gordon Bajnai András Schiffer
Bernadett Szél
Party DK Együtt LMP
Alliance Greens–EFA
Last election New party New party 0 seats, 2.61%
Seats won 2 1 1
Seat change New party New party Increase 1
Popular vote 226,086 168,076 116,904
Percentage 9.75% 7.25% 5.04%

The European Parliament election, 2014 for the election of the delegation from Hungary to the European Parliament was held on 25 May 2014.[2]

With the Lisbon Treaty coming into force, Hungary held 22 seats in the European Parliament. However, due to the fact that Croatia joined the UE in 2013, it will now locate 21 seats to the Parliament.

Parties contesting the election

Eight Hungarian parties took part in the European elections:

Three parties were refused registration: Democratic Community of Welfare and Freedom (JESZ), Modern Hungary Movement (MoMa), and New Hungary Party (ÚMP).[3]

Opinion polling

Date Polling Firm Fidesz MSZP Jobbik LMP E14-PM DK Others Lead
7 June 2009 2009 election 14 4 3 0 – – 1 10
August 2013 Policy Solutions[4] 10 6 4 – 1 – – 4
9–29 January 2014 Ipsos–Tárki–Medián[5] 10 4 3 – 2 2 – 6
6 April 2014 PollWatch2014[6] 10 5 5 1 – – – 5
24 April 2014 Political Capital[7] 11 4 5 1 – – – 6
25–29 April 2014 Medián[8] 14 3 4 – – – – 10
6–8 May 2014 Nézőpont[9] 11 3 3 2 2 – – 8
May 2014 Ipsos[10] 13 4 4 – – – – 9
7–15 May 2014 Tárki[11] 13 4 3 – – 1 – 9
14–18 May 2014 Nézőpont[12] 11 4 3 1 1 1 – 7

Results

 Summary of the results of Hungary's 25 May 2014 election to the European Parliament
← 2009 • 2014 • 2019 →
National party European party Main candidate Votes % +/– Seats +/–
Fidesz – Hungarian Civic Union (Fidesz–KDNP)[lower-alpha 1] EPP Ildikó Pelczné Gáll 1,193,991 51.48 Decrease 4.88
12 / 21
 Decrease 2
Movement for a Better Hungary (Jobbik) AENM Krisztina Morvai 340,287 14.67 Decrease 0.1
3 / 21
 Steady 0
Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) PES Tibor Szanyi 252,751 10.9 Decrease 6.47
2 / 21
 Decrease 2
Democratic Coalition (DK) none* Csaba Molnár 226,086 9.75 new
2 / 21
 Increase 2
Together 2014 (E14) + Dialogue for Hungary (PM) none† Benedek Jávor[lower-alpha 2] 168,076 7.25 new
1 / 21
 Increase 1
Politics Can Be Different (LMP) EGP Tamás Meszerics 116,904 5.04 Increase 2.43
1 / 21
 Increase 1
The Homeland Not For Sale Movement Party (HNEM) none Árpád Kásler 12,119 0.52 new
0 / 21
 Steady 0
Alliance of Mária Seres (SMS) none Tamás Tóth 9,279 0.4 new
0 / 21
 Steady 0
Valid votes 2,319,493 99.58
Blank and invalid votes 9,046 0.39
Totals 2,328,539 99.97
Missing votes 765 0.03
Totals 2,329,304 100.00 —
21 / 21
 Decrease 1
Electorate (eligible voters) and voter turnout 8,041,386 28.97 Decrease 7.34
Source: Valasztas.hu

* seeks to join S&D group
† seeks to join Greens/EFA group

Analysis and consequences

Fidesz won with second highest proportion of votes in Europe, after the Labour Party in Malta. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán congratulated to all elected MEPs. He said "they will be outpost of the Hungarians as they will defend the home in foreign land".[13] The ruling party received 12 seats, strongly enhancing the European People's Party (EPP) drive to achieve a majority in the European Parliament. Martin Schulz, S&D candidate for President of the European Commission, said the People's Party could win the election just because of the "eurosceptic and populist" Forza Italia and Fidesz results, which is "embarrassing for the conservatives".[14] German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel also called the Fidesz "extremist".[15] Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén rejected Gabriel's statements and noted "he does not remember that Gabriel had spoken against when Robert Fico's Smer entered into a coalition with the fascist Ján Slota-led Slovak National Party".[16]

The Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) suffered its largest defeat since the 1990 parliamentary election,[17] while far-right Jobbik came to the second place for the first time since its establishment. Gábor Vona said his party, based on the results, could be the main challenger to the Fidesz in the 2018 parliamentary election.[18] However, as political analyst Zoltán Lakner argued, Jobbik appeared in the election significantly worse than one month ago in the general election, because the party now gained only one-third of those votes, while the turnout was half of the previous one. The extremist party's second place was due to the fragmentation of the left-wing opposition.[19]

After the obvious failure, chairman Attila Mesterházy and the entire presidium of the Socialist Party tendered their resignation.[20] Nevertheless, Mesterházy said he wishes to keep his position of parliamentary group leader.[21] However, three days later, Mesterházy resigned from both of his positions after criticism intensified against him.[22] The Socialist Party lost its leading opposition stature in Budapest, dropping to fourth place there after the Democratic Coalition and the alliance of Together 2014–Dialogue for Hungary. That rearrangement of the balance of power may affect the distribution of the candidates among the three parties for the 2014 local elections (primarily a possible joint candidate against Mayor of Budapest István Tarlós).[23] Gábor Török, a popular political scientist in Hungary, called the election the "Mohács disaster of the Socialist Party".[24]

The two newer organizations, led by two former prime ministers, Ferenc Gyurcsány and Gordon Bajnai, could assess their strength for the first time during a single candidacy. According to Index.hu, successful results helped the political survival of Gyurcsány and Bajnai. The latter's party proved popular among the liberal voters in Budapest, while the DK weakened the Socialists' stronghold in countryside. However, the news portals' analysis pointed out that Gyurcsány's party has no more reserves, the relative good result was due to the dedicated "believers" and maximum mobilization coupled with low turnout. According to the analysis, Politics Can Be Different (LMP) remained a party with 5%, narrowly meeting the electoral threshold.[25]

List of seat winners

Notes

  1. ↑ Common list with the Christian Democratic People's Party (KDNP) in the 2014 election
  2. ↑ Member of the Dialogue for Hungary (PM)
  3. ↑ Andrea Bocskor holds besides her Hungarian citizenship also Ukrainian citizenship (this practice is quite common among the Hungarian minority in Ukraine, although at the time of her election Ukrainian law did not recognise dual citizenship[26]).[27] Hence, she became the first elected Ukrainian in the European Parliament.[27] Bocskor lives in Ukraine; in the city Berehove.[27]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.europarl.europa.eu/elections2014-results/en/country-results-hu-2014.html
  2. ↑ "Áder sets date of EP election for May 25". 9 March 2014. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
  3. ↑ "Listaállítás áttekintése - a pártok által állított listák". Nemzeti Választási Iroda. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  4. ↑ A 2014-es európai parlamenti választások várható eredménye – Policy Solutions, August 2013
  5. ↑ A szocialisták nyernének, ha most lennének az EP-választások – Hvg.hu, 19 February 2014.
  6. ↑ Mit mondanak a közvélemény-kutatások? – PollWatch2014, 27 May 2014.
  7. ↑ Közvélemény-kutatók: csődöt mondott a választási "félelemteória" – HVG.hu, 27 May 2014.
  8. ↑ Gyurcsány és Bajnai kieshet az EP-ből – Origo.hu, 27 May 2014.
  9. ↑ Nézőpont az EP-választásról: Leszakad az MSZP, bejut az Együtt-PM és az LMP – Mandiner.hu, 13 May 2014.
  10. ↑ Páholyból nézi a Fidesz a Jobbik és az MSZP küzdelmét – Népszabadság, 27 May 2014.
  11. ↑ Így állnak a pártok az EP-választás előtt – napi.hu, 28 May 2014.
  12. ↑ Nézőpont: szoros küzdelem várható vasárnap – Népszabadság, 28 May 2014.
  13. ↑ "Orbán: Az EP-képviselők külföldön is a hazát védik". 25 May 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  14. ↑ "Schulz: az Európai Néppártnak ki kellene zárnia a Fideszt". 25 May 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  15. ↑ "A német baloldal fúrja a Fideszt". 26 May 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  16. ↑ "Visszautasítja Sigmar Gabriel kijelentését Semjén Zsolt". 26 May 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  17. ↑ "Egyetlen ábrán megnézheti az MSZP tragédiáját". 25 May 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  18. ↑ "Vona: Magyarország második legerősebb pártja a Jobbik". 25 May 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  19. ↑ "Lakner: "Minden marad, ahogy volt"". 26 May 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  20. ↑ "Mesterházy: Újabb leckét kaptunk". 25 May 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  21. ↑ "Mesterházy frakcióvezető maradna, júliusban lehet új MSZP-elnökség". 26 May 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  22. ↑ "Mesterházy lemondott az MSZP vezetéséről". 29 May 2014. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
  23. ↑ "Ezen a térképen elsírhatja magát az MSZP". 26 May 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  24. ↑ "Török Gábor: az MSZP Mohácsa lehet ez a választás". 25 May 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  25. ↑ "Kezdődik az MSZP végjátéka". 26 May 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  26. ↑ Constitution of Ukraine: Article 4
    Dual Identities, Kyiv Post (July 9, 2009)
    The Law of Ukraine On Citizenship of Ukraine: Article 2
  27. 1 2 3 (Ukrainian) A citizen of Ukraine has become a Member of European Parliament, Ukrayinska Pravda (3 July 2014)
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