Két választás Európában. A magyar választási rendszer a 2006-os magyar és olasz választás tükrében
Two elections in Europe. The Hungarian electoral system in the mirror of the 2006 Hungarian and Italian elections

Summary/Abstract: On April 9. 2006 the parliamentary elections were held on the same day in Italy and in Hungary. The comparative analysis of the two elections and electoral systems provides for a more complex research of the Hungarian electoral system. The different electoral systems of the two countries reveal even more the peculiar features of the Hungarian electoral system. Of course there are great differences in the social and political circumstances and conditions of the two elections, but there are obvious similarities concerning economic situation and political process, as well. The division for two camps, the depth of the contrast between the two camps, the style and the spirit of the campaign on a large scale resembles of one another. The study examines and compares the elections’ results, the formation of the relation of forces, the influence of the electoral systems, the turnout, the indices of proportionality and the party systems,and it draws the conclusions as regards the Hungarian electoral system and the political consequences of the 2006 elections. First of all, the main suggestion of the study is that the 2006 elections in Hungary have proved more than ever that the oustinglike elements of the Hungarian system (the second round, the strong screening system, the high electoral threshold) could be reduced without threatening the stability and governability. The elements, making the system more proportional should be better built with respect to the tiers, to the electoral formulas, to the district magnitude and to the less determining character of the constituency seats. In case of an intention for reducing the assembly size, the best solution would be transferring the allocation method and mechanism of the German electoral system, because the reduction in the number of seats in this way would bring about the fewest disfunctional consequences. It would be desirable to reduce the extreme dominance of the parties on the elections that is partly due to the electoral system. The effect of this election on the political process could be that it affords an opportunity to change politics through the learning process of the political elite.

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