MEASURE 3/2006. (I.25.)
OF THE HEAD OF THE NATIONAL ELECTION OFFICE

on the participation of international observers and international press representatives in the parliamentary elections on 9th and 23st of April, 2006.

In my authority set forth in paragraph 39 article (1) of Act C. of year 1997 on the election procedure, regarding the participation of foreign observers and international press representatives in the parliamentary election of 2006, I take the following measure:

1. Hungary, as a country that has signed the 1990 Copenhagen document on the human dimension of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) undertook liability to invite observers from other member countries and relevant civic organisations for the elections to be held in the country. Therefore, according to this commitment, all electoral offices should assist the lawful and successful execution of the observation by foreigners.

2. Concerning the reception of international observers and international press representatives, relevant electoral regulations should be consistently adhered to, which are decisive mainly in three respects:

a) The operation and activity of the election committees and the information - with the exceptions laid down in law - available to them are public. The publicity of the election procedure cannot offend the secrecy of the voting nor the rights related to personality and to the protection of personal data. (cp. paragraph 6 article (1) of Act C. of year 1997).

b) Similarly to press representatives the international election observers are allowed to be present at the work of the electoral committees - therefore also at the work of the polling station committees - but they cannot disturb their work (cp. paragraph 7 article (1) of Law C. of year 1997), and cannot give orders to them.

c) The chairman of the polling station committee is responsible for maintaining order in the polling-station and its environment during the polling day. The measures made in order to maintain the order are obligatory for everyone - including the foreign election observers (cp. paragraph 65 article (1) of Law C. of year 1997).

3. For the parliamentary election, those persons are considered as international election observers who have registered themselves as such at the National Election Office and, having properly justified their identity and legitimacy, the National Election Office has supplied them with accreditation cards. The accreditation card serves also as an entry permit to the National Election Centre (BM Duna Palota, Budapest, V., Zrínyi u. 5.).

When exercising their activities, in order to prove their official capacity, the international election observers should put on or show their accreditation card.

4. For the parliamentary election, the international press representatives operating in Hungary shall register themselves at the National Election Office. The National Election Office will supply them with accreditation cards, which also serve as entry permit to the National Election Centre (BM Duna Palota, Budapest, V., Zrínyi u. 5.).

a) While exercising their duties, the international press representatives shall put on or show their accreditation cards furthermore, they shall dependably attest their official journalist capacity.

b) Regarding the polling stations at the foreign representations, representatives of international press without valid accreditation cards may only enter the polling station on the permission of the foreign representation, after proving their identity and showing their press certificates.
Concerning those issues that are not mentioned in this measure, foreign press representatives shall enjoy the same rights and entitlements as the international observers during the election.

5. Those international observers and international press representatives who intend to observe the process of voting at the foreign representations of Hungary shall register themselves at the National Election Office until the 20th of March 2006 at the very latest, while those who intend to visit the polling stations in the territory of the country shall process their accreditation requests to the National Election Office till the 31st of March 2006 at latest.

6. In order to exercise his/her relevant activity, the international election observer in the period before the polling day is allowed

a) to participate on press conferences held for international observers and international press;

b) to request for information matters related to Hungary and the Hungarian electoral law in Hungarian and in foreign languages;

c) on the basis of previous arrangement, to collect information on the electoral preparations at the National Election Office and at the electoral offices.

7. On the polling day the international election observer:

a. is allowed to observe on site the beginning and the process of the voting at any polling station selected by the observer (the opportunity shall be guaranteed by every polling station);

b. should announce his/her intention to observe to the chairman of the polling station committee on site;

c. is allowed to be given information about all particulars of public interest related to the voting;

d. is allowed to be present (as observer) at the counting of the votes and to receive verbal information about the results;

e. in the National Election Centre is allowed to follow the arrival and processing of the partial results of the election, for this purpose is allowed to participate in press conferences, to receive preliminary information matters and to follow the development of the election results, as well as to study other electoral information to be found on Internet and other electronic systems.

8. Following the day of the election, the international observers and international press representatives are allowed to participate on the press conference where the preliminary and final election results are announced in the National Election Centre.

9. The international election observers are allowed to publish their experience and findings on press conferences organised for them by the National Election Office, interviews given to Hungarian and foreign press representatives or in other forms (e.g. submitting their written statements to the National Election Office).

10. The heads of the regional election offices are allowed to receive international observers in their competency, in their own authority in line with clause 3, provided that the inviting party is the municipality, party or non-governmental organisation operating in the area of competence of the regional electoral office. The National Election Office should be informed about the fact of the accreditation, in order to register the observer and provide him/her subsequently with the election information materials. The accreditation card issued for the regional-observer does not entitle the owner to enter the National Election Centre and the rights established in this very measure are limited to a defined area of the country (to the capital or the county in which they are registered). The head of the regional election office is responsible for providing the international observers and international press representatives with all the information materials produced locally.

11. In his/her area of competence, the head of the regional election office:
- provides for the information of the local election offices and the adequate preparation of the heads of the polling stations,
- in his/her report on the conduction of the parliamentary elections, informs the National Election Office on the invitation of international observers, the number of participants and the observations and findings established by them.
 

Budapest, 25th of January 2006.

Emília Rytkó