The parliamentary elections took place, the winners celebrated, the losers mourned, the analysts analyzed, and summer is here - one might think that cucumber season is coming.

However, in the coming months, several by-elections will be held from Békéscsaba to Kőszeg, partly to replace the missed polls due to the health crisis, partly because many local government politicians have become members of parliament. Most of them this month, and some in July and August.

In the United States, the days when primaries are held in many locations at the same time are called Super Tuesdays. As a model for this, we can safely call June 26 a Super Sunday, as interim voting will be held in twenty-one places with a population of more than ten thousand people, including four districts of Budapest.

It is worth paying attention if only because the combined results of these elections can somewhat be an indicator of the political climate and outline the balance of power between the parties. From this point of view, it is only worth taking into account the results of the settlements with more than ten thousand inhabitants, because there it is less the candidate's popularity and more party sympathies that determine the voters' decision.

It is worth adding that the willingness to participate is expected to be lower than usual – partly due to the summer, partly due to the civil wars experienced by the left in several districts, as well as the mood created after the parliamentary elections. It is also important that, with the exception of Keszthely and Balatonalmádi, where the mayor is elected, voting will not take place in the entire settlement, but only in one or two districts.

Read the full Mandiner article

Author: Dániel Ábel Pálfy

Photo: Zoltán Balogh