1. How the National Election Center Operates

The National Election Team runs the National Election Center in Duna Palace of the Ministry of Interior (Budapest, V., Zrinyi u. 5) on the referendum day.

The events and their places in Duna Palace:

Ground-floor

Assembly Hall:

Accreditation

Election Information Service

I. Floor

Széchenyi Room -- Entrance Passage:

Exhibition about the history of elections

Széchenyi Room :

Press-Service / Computers, information system for the press

Restaurant :

Information system, monitor-projector

TV-studio (Hungarian Television Corporation)

Computers, information system everybody who is interested can use it

II. Floor

Club Room :

Resting place for international observers

Theatre Room :

Press conferences

Brown Room :

The Central office of the National Election Team

Administration and control counting procedure at a national level

White Room :

Conference room of the National Election Committee

Accreditation of the International Observers

Accrediting hours:

14th November, 1997, 10 a.m. -- 6 p.m.

15th November, 1997, 9 a.m. -- 4 p.m.

16th November, 1997, 6 a.m. -- midnight

To get an accreditation. You need a passport and the printed form which you received together with the invitation to be an observer, and which you have filled out and sent back to us. Accreditation process will be helped by over colleagues, who speak foreign languages.

A Election Information Service works in Duna Palace. The Service gives information everyone who is interested in legal, organisational and data related question.(see Point 2.)

Press Service -- Press Conferences

The International Press Service works in Széchenyi Room of Duna Palace, and has the same opening hours as the accreditation service (see accrediting hours).

The first general briefing for international observers and the representatives of the press takes place on the 15th November, 1997, at 12 a.m., in the Theatre Room. Subject of the briefing: legal, procedural and technical aspects of the forthcoming referendum. After the press conference the computer-system of Duna Palace is going to be shown and explained to the guests.

On the 16th November, 1997, that is, on the day of the referendum, there is going to be a press conference some time in the evening, at about 9:45 p.m. as far as can be foreseen.

The closing press conference is scheduled to be held in the morning, on the 17th November, 1997. The exact beginning of it will be announced at the evening press conference on the 16th. All press conferences are held in the Theatre Room of the Duna Palace. Questions and answers will be translated simultaneously into four languages (English, French, German and Russian).

Final results are going to be announced in the building of the Parliament (Budapest, V., Kossuth tér 2-4), presumably on the 19th November.

Events on the Referendum's Day

On Sunday, the 16th November, 1997, Duna Palace opens its doors at 6 a.m. All observers and guests are welcome. After polling ward have been closed (polling circles are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.), observers and guests can follow the incoming results through computers and projectors in Duna Palace. Observers and guests can have coffee and refreshments, or can even take a short rest in the Club Room.

The exhibition about the history of elections will be opened in the second floor on Friday, the 14th November 1997.

Hostesses speaking several foreign languages will be there to answer all questions of our guests from Friday morning to Monday morning.