BUDAPEST, 26 March 2026 – The leaders of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s election observation mission to the 12 April parliamentary elections in Hungary have been in Budapest over the past two days to prepare for the full deployment of observers next month. The findings from this pre-election visit will help inform the observation mission and focus attention on possible areas of concern ahead of election day.
Armenian parliamentarian Sargis Khandanyan, who has been appointed by the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office as Special Co-ordinator and leader of the short-term OSCE observers, and British parliamentarian Rupa Huq, who has been appointed by the OSCE PA President as Head of the OSCE PA’s delegation of observers, met on Tuesday and Wednesday with a wide range of interlocutors to gain insight into the pre-election environment.
During their visit, Khandanyan and Huq held discussions with representatives of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), Hungarian election authorities, government officials, members of the Hungarian parliament and the OSCE PA delegation, political parties, civil society representatives, and media stakeholders.
Sargis Khandanyan and Rupa Huq with National Election Office and National Election Committee representatives, Budapest, 25 March 2026“The purpose of this visit has been to gain a comprehensive and balanced understanding of the electoral and political environment in Hungary ahead of the parliamentary elections,” said Special Co-ordinator Khandanyan. “Over the past two days, we have met a broad range of interlocutors and heard diverse perspectives on the preparations for the vote, the campaign environment, the media landscape, and public confidence in the process. These discussions have been valuable in helping us prepare for the observation mission and in identifying issues that merit close attention in the period leading up to election day.”
Khandanyan noted that the observation of these elections will be conducted as a joint International Election Observation Mission with ODIHR and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, bringing together more than 350 observers on election day. The OSCE PA will contribute approximately 140 observers, including 113 parliamentarians from 38 countries, who will be deployed across Hungary. “Co-operation between ODIHR’s election experts and the political outreach provided by parliamentary observers offers a comprehensive approach in which the strengths of each institution complement one another,” he said.
Head of Delegation Rupa Huq underlined the importance of meeting a broad range of stakeholders during the pre-election visit. “Our meetings in Budapest helped provide important background on the current campaign and electoral environment,” she said. “As observers, our role is to assess the process impartially, identify broader patterns, and support efforts toward fair, transparent and inclusive elections. These exchanges are essential to ensuring that our mission is well prepared to deliver a comprehensive, balanced and fair assessment.”
The leaders expressed appreciation to all interlocutors who took the time to meet with them during a busy campaign period and stressed that the significance of the elections is reflected in the strong level of international participation in the observation mission.
This is the fourth time that the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly will observe parliamentary elections in Hungary.
For information on previous election observation missions to Hungary, please click here.
