Candidate Charged for Election Fraud with Fake Signatures
Prosecutors Allege 21 Forged Endorsements Barred Candidate
A political hopeful in Budapest faces charges for allegedly submitting falsified recommendation forms to run in the 2022 parliamentary elections. Prosecutors claim the individual, Gábor Szenes, would not have met the necessary signature threshold without the fraudulent endorsements.
Accused of Misrepresenting Support
The Metropolitan Prosecutor’s Office has formally accused Gábor Szenes, a former representative of the Solution Movement and a candidate for the Gattyán party in Újbuda during the 2022 elections. He is charged with a crime against the electoral order by providing false information.
According to the indictment, Szenes obtained official recommendation sheets from a local electoral office in February 2022. To qualify as a nominee, he needed to collect at least 500 valid signatures from constituents.
Upon submitting the completed forms by the deadline, Szenes affirmed that he had personally collected the recommendations and that the listed individuals genuinely supported his candidacy. The Election Commission initially accepted 518 recommendations, enabling his registration as a parliamentary candidate.
However, subsequent scrutiny revealed that 21 of the submitted signatures were not from the named individuals. Without these fraudulent endorsements, Szenes would have fallen short of the required 500 valid recommendations, preventing him from becoming a nominee. He ultimately did not secure a parliamentary seat.
The prosecutor’s office is pursuing a plea deal with the court, recommending a fine for Szenes as part of a negotiated trial.
In Hungary, election candidates must gather a minimum number of validated signatures to appear on the ballot. For instance, in the 2022 general election, a candidate running in a single-member constituency needed at least 500 valid endorsements. The integrity of this process is crucial for fair representation.
The article has reached out to the Solution Movement for comment regarding these allegations and will provide updates if a response is received.