Hungary 2026: Elections, Institutions, Participation
16 April 2026
ELTE Centre for Social Sciences (H-1097 Budapest, Toth Kalman Street 4) Central Conference Hall and online
Registration: jti.titkarsag(at)tk.hu
Hungary’s 2026 parliamentary election offers a concentrated moment to present and connect research that are conducted at the ELTE Centre for Social Sciences, the re:constitution network and beyond on elections, political communication, institutional governance, participation and mobilisation. The workshop is designed to provide scientifically grounded, methodologically transparent analyses of (i) Regulation, enforcement and dispute resolution (ii) Elections in the digital age, (iii) participation, representation and mobilisation.
Agenda
09:00–09:30 | Registration and coffee
09:30–09:50 | Welcome and opening
Welcome remarks, framing and discussion
Zsolt Boda (Director General, ELTE CSS) & Fruzsina Gárdos-Orosz (Director, CSS Institute for Legal Studies)
09:50–11:20 | Session
Regulation, enforcement and dispute resolution
Moderator: Oceane Raverdy (University of Strasbourg)
- Evaluating Electoral Regulation Practices - Boldizsár Szentgáli-Tóth (CSS Institute for Legal Studies)
- It shall be free & fair -- Judicial and constitutional review of general elections - Nóra Chronowski (CSS Institute for Legal Studies)
- The permanent campaign and the relevance of the formal campaign period - Dániel Mikecz (CSS Institute for Political Science)
Discussant: Max Steuer (Comenius University/Universität Münster)
Discussion
11:20–11:35 | Coffee break
11:35–13:05 | Session 2
Elections in the digital age: media, social media, and the “permanent campaign”
Moderator: Zitan Peng Hao (Cardinal Herrera Universtiy, Valencia)
- Campaign, Manipulation, and Disinformation on Social Media - Márton Bene, Veronika Kövesdi (CSS Institute for Political Science)
- AI, election administration and democracy - Juliane Müller (International IDEA)
- Election adjudication, social media activity, and contested elections - Bogdan Dima (University of Bucharest)
Discussant: Yann Lorans (NOVA School of Law)
Discussion
13:05–14:00 | Lunch
14:00–15:30 | Session 3
Participation and representation: geography, inducements, minorities, diaspora
Moderator: Oceane Raverdy (University of Strasbourg)
- Votes from abroad – kin-minorities and diaspora participation - Vizi Balázs (CSS Institute for Minority Studies)
- The grip of dependency: How poverty and insecurity shape participation and voting behaviour - Vera Messing (CSS Institute for Sociology)
- National minorities and elections - Dobos Balázs (CSS Institute for Minority Studies)
Discussant: Stefan Szwed (Columbia University)
Discussion
15:30–15:45 | Coffee break
15:45–17:00 | Session 4
Mobilisation, civil society activity, and solidarity
Moderator: Zitan Peng Hao (Cardinal Herrera Universtiy, Valencia)
- Solidarity and civil activity patterns in the pre-election period - Bernadette Csurgó (CSS Institute for Sociology)
- Two Faces of Charismatic Attachment: Institutionalised Authority and Emergent Mobilisation in Hungarian Politics - Rudolf Metz (CSS Institute for Political Sciences)
- Doing migration in an illiberal or liberal context? Broader consequences of the national elections - Zsuzsa Árendás (CSS Institute for Sociology)
Discussant: Imre Kovách (CSS Institute for Sociology)
Discussion
17:00–17:45 | Closing discussion
Comparative lessons on Elections, Institutions and Participation in the Region
Closing discussants:
Csaba Győry (CSS Institute for Legal Studies)
Maria Skóra (Institut für Europäische Politik/SWPS University)
Marcin Wolny (Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights Poland)
Moderator: Edit Zgut-Przybylska (Polish Academy of Sciences)
