A delegation of the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Ukraine, led by CEC Chairman Oleh Didenko, visited Hungary to discuss with representatives of the National Election Office of Hungary their experience in organizing out-country voting, as well as the possibilities of opening additional polling stations within the state for Ukrainian citizens to vote.
"Due to the war, the number of our citizens outside Ukraine has increased to between 5 and 6 million people, according to various sources. Ensuring their right to vote will be highly challenging. Therefore, we are actively studying the situation in countries with similar experience in securing the electoral rights of citizens abroad. This is, essentially, the main objective of our visit, alongside communication regarding the possibility of Ukrainian citizens voting in Hungary outside diplomatic missions and the readiness of local authorities to assist us in this," Didenko is quoted as saying on the CEC website.
The CEC representatives also noted a significant increase in the number of Ukrainian citizens residing in Hungary.
"Speaking of Hungary, in 2019, about 5,000 Ukrainian citizens were registered on the consular rolls here. Currently, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, there are actually more than 100,000 of our voters in this state," emphasized commission member Serhiy Postivy.
To facilitate voting for the actual number of Ukrainian citizens currently in Hungary, between 10 and 20 additional polling stations need to be established, depending on the number of voters who demonstrate a readiness to vote once appropriate conditions are met.
The President of the National Election Office of Hungary, Attila Nagy, gave assurances of readiness to assist Ukraine with organizing post-war elections on Hungarian territory, particularly regarding electoral infrastructure within their country.
He also shared Hungary’s experience with out-country voting, noting that in this year’s parliamentary elections, Hungarian citizens voted in 150 countries worldwide. Within the European Union, the highest turnout of Hungarians was in Germany, while over 10,000 citizens voted in London. Consequently, in major cities with large populations of Hungarian citizens, polling stations were set up outside diplomatic missions.
The Ukrainian delegation also met with representatives of the Romanian Embassy in Hungary.
"Romania is one of the countries with a large number of its citizens abroad. In Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom, about a million Romanian voters reside in each country. Romania has experience in opening over 950 polling stations outside diplomatic missions. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Romania to Hungary Gabriel Șopandă outlined how these stations operate, the locations where they are most frequently opened, and the challenges to prepare for," the statement reads.
Additionally, the Ukrainian delegation met with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Hungary and the local Ukrainian community.
