In light of the extremely tight election results, it is still unclear who will be the mayor of Budapest for the next five years. The situation is further compounded by an extremely high rate of invalid votes. According to official figures, a total of 24,592 such ballots were counted, almost three times the number of invalid votes cast in 2019.
In 2019, 8,388 invalid votes were cast, and nearly 10 percent fewer voters showed up at the polling booths than last Sunday. In 2014, the number of invalid votes was also significantly lower than last Sunday, with only 11,563 invalid ballots registered.
The results from 2010 are even more telling. Then, the total number of invalid ballots cast was 7,796, the lowest in the history of mayoral elections. In 2006, by contrast, there were 10,579 invalid votes, which is still just a third of the invalid vote numbers registered last Sunday.
When is a vote valid?
Under current legislation, a ballot paper that has not been stamped by the electoral commission is considered invalid at Sunday's elections. The ballot paper may not be stamped in advance and may only be stamped in the presence of the voter, i.e. validated by a member of the committee.
A valid vote may be cast by drawing two intersecting lines (+ or x) with a pen in the circle next to the name of the candidate or above the name of the party. Circling, scribbling in, or putting a tick in the circles, as well as instances when the lines happen to intersect each other outside the circle designated for this purpose, are considered invalid votes.
If the other conditions are met, the validity of a vote shall not be affected by any comment written on the ballot paper. However, a vote cast with a pencil is invalid.