In January, President of Hungary János Áder, carrying out his constitutional duty, fixed April 8th as the date for Hungary’s 2018 general election.
On Sunday, Hungarian voters will go to the polls to elect a new parliament. Citizens are assigned to voting stations based on their place of residence. (The map of the voting stations is available here.) Polling stations open at 6 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. Those who have arrived at the polling stations by 7 p.m. but are still queuing can cast their votes beyond the deadline. However, no more voters will be allowed to join the queue after 7 o’clock.
Hungary’s National Assembly comprises 199 members, 106 of them are elected in single-member electoral districts and the remaining 93 come from national party lists. Upon entering the polling station and presenting proper identification to verify their voter eligibility, voters are given a ballot where they can place two marks: one next to the preferred candidate running in their electoral district and a second one next to the national party list of their choice. (Here’s a look at this year’s ballot.) Eligible voters with a residence outside Hungary may vote only for the national party lists.
Once polls have closed, the vote counters begin processing the ballots. Preliminary results will then roll out gradually with the pre-final results likely to air around midnight. In the rare case of highly contested districts where only a few votes separate the candidates, recounts may occur. In that case, the announcement of the final, official results may see delays.