For formal reasons, Hungary's Constitutional Court has annulled some transitional provisions of the Fundamental Law, including the one on voter pre-registration.

Following a review initiated by Ombudsman Máté Szabó in March 2012, the Constitutional Court concluded that Parliament had transgressed its legislative competence when it approved general rules valid for longer periods of time among the transitional provisions. The Court said it had not examined whether the content of the said provisions complied with the Fundamental Law; its ruling was based merely on formal considerations.

Faction leader of the ruling Fidesz party Antal Rogán said the party acknowledged the Court's decision and was ready to correct the formal shortcomings, adding that the content has not been disputed. Fidesz proposes that the provisions annulled should be incorporated into the Fundamental Law in February by Parliament.

Parliament adopted the new electoral procedure law in November 2012, with an all-party agreement on the necessity of reducing the number of MPs, redrawing electoral districts and ensuring the parliamentary representation of minorities.  The law also introduced voter pre-registration, in order to enhance voter participation, which according to Zoltán Lomniczi Jr, noted expert on constitutional law, is not against the Fundamental Law, with several arguments for its introduction, such as the shortcomings of the previous voter lists resulting in several thousand people being unable to vote in 2010. The expert also added in a recent interview that several Western European countries use a form of pre-registration, with Belgium using the same system as Hungary’s.

The Court added that, upon the initiative of President János Áder, it was reviewing the content of the law on electoral procedure, including preliminary voter registration, and would disclose its conclusions in early January.

(Prime Minister’s Office)