Deputies from Hungary's ruling FIDES party used their majority in the parliamentary judiciary committee to push for changes to the country's electoral law, DPA reported, quoted by BTA.
The changes are believed to give Prime Minister Viktor Orbán an advantage in the next regular parliamentary elections, which will take place in 2026.
One of the changes envisages that in the future in the capital Budapest, where support for FIDES is weak, only 16 instead of the current 18 direct mandates will be awarded. Even considering changes in the population of Budapest and its surroundings, removing two direct mandates in the capital is difficult to justify, said Robert Laszlo, a researcher at the Budapest-based think tank Political Capital.
Another of the changes is related to the fact that it will no longer be necessary to distribute envelopes for the ballots at the polling stations. Members of the opposition see this as a step towards removing the secrecy of the vote.
"This measure opens the door to voter intimidation, especially in small municipalities where local officials can easily monitor voters' choices," the liberal opposition party "Momentum" said in a statement.
The bill, approved by the parliamentary judiciary committee, will now have to be put to a vote in parliament, where its approval is considered certain as FIDES has the two-thirds majority needed to change the laws at the constitutional level.< /p>
In the past, right-wing populist Orbán's party, which has been in power in Hungary since 2010. since then, it has repeatedly changed the electoral law before elections to take advantage of various advantages. However, there is now a sense of nervousness in the ranks of FIDES since Orbán's close ally Peter Magyar quit the ruling party earlier this year and emerged as an opponent of the prime minister and a contender for the premiership. His party - "Tisa - Respect and Freedom" - won almost 30 percent of the vote in June's European Parliament elections, despite entering the race at very short notice.
According to the latest polls, Magyar's party is ahead of Orbán's, DPA notes.