{"id":38989,"date":"2022-07-07T06:47:21","date_gmt":"2022-07-07T06:47:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dev2.atlatszo.exot.hu\/?p=38989"},"modified":"2022-07-07T06:47:23","modified_gmt":"2022-07-07T06:47:23","slug":"from-the-dahr-to-the-grocers-everyones-zealously-collecting-the-mail-ballots-in-transylvania","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev2.atlatszo.exot.hu\/en\/english\/from-the-dahr-to-the-grocers-everyones-zealously-collecting-the-mail-ballots-in-transylvania\/","title":{"rendered":"From the DAHR to the grocer\u2019s: everyone\u2019s zealously collecting the mail ballots in Transylvania"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

All signs indicate that the Hungarian government has assigned the task of collecting the votes in Transylvania to two politically-related organizations: the Eurotrans Foundation established by the DAHR and the Democracy Centres operated by the Hungarian National Council of Transylvania [HNCT].<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

After several months of tuning, the DAHR and the HNCT have switched to full campaign mode this week. Looking at the Facebook activities of the politicians of the two organizations, we have the feeling that these Transylvanian officials are fighting for their own mandates in a \u201csharp\u201d election campaign \u2013 although only the ballots are being collected for the Hungarian parliamentary elections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The collected ballots will be sent either to the consulates in Cluj-Napoca and Miercurea Ciuc or to a constituency in Hungary. However, it is hard to double-check: envelopes are received in most cases completely informally, voters rarely receive an acknowledgment of receipt, and there is usually no confirmation that their vote has been cast in the ballot box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Assistance is not illegal \u2013 however, it\u2019s unclear what it covers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This \u201cassistance\u201d is allowed by the Hungarian electoral law. However, it does not specify what is included in the assistance and to what extent it infringes the secrecy of vote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Lev\u00e9lszavaz\u00e1s
This picture was posted by S\u00e1ndor Tam\u00e1s, president of Covasna County Council, with the title “morning activity at my parents”. The voting preferences of his mother can be clearly seen in the picture <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As the role of the DAHR and the HNCT is not transparent, it raises suspicions of electoral abuse. How can you see a fair, impartial mediator in the organisations funded by the current Hungarian government, which have been campaigning for Fidesz in recent months, and whose leaders are not hiding their political options for a single minute?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is important to emphasize that we currently have no evidence of electoral fraud, either in the Eurotrans Foundation offices or in the network of Democracy Centres. The suspicious cases that have come to our attention during the vote so far are not necessarily linked to any of the organisations, and rather appear as isolated incidents of overzealousness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A Facebook post by Ferenc Gid\u00f3, a local councilor in Ghidfal\u0103u. Gid\u00f3 encourages people to bring their ballots to a local grocery shop<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, in addition to the DAHR and the HNCT, several other organisations, even individuals, collect mail ballots. It is not uncommon in some villages for envelopes to be submitted at the parish or brought to the consulate by a neighbour. In H\u00e1romsz\u00e9k, for instance, the Bertis shop chain has gotten involved in collecting: the mail ballots can be left at the cash desk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some dozens of ballots were received by the Democracy Centres<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The only change since the parliamentary elections four years ago is that less voters ask for mail packages to be sent to the Eurotrans and the Democracy Centres.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis year, a few dozen more arrived at our offices upon the voters\u2019 request, and most of them were sent out. Of course, they also gave us contact information so we could let them know. Currently, a total of two such ballot packages are still waiting for their owners in our offices.\u201d \u2013 answered Krisztina S\u00e1ndor, executive official of the HNCT to our question. Eurotrans only responded that no packages were sent to their addresses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The consulates communicate particularly little<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While everyone in Transylvania is collecting mail ballots zealously and voters are often specifically asked not to take the envelopes to the consulates, the consulates in Cluj-Napoca and Miercurea Ciuc communicate particularly little on Facebook. At the time of our article, there are 1-2 paid campaigns running with elections information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Information that mail ballots may be cast in person at consulates is displayed on the Facebook pages, but not prominently. You need to carefully scroll down and read the posts to find it. This is strange because the safest way to vote is to take votes in person to the ballot boxes at the consulates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Consulate General of Miercurea Ciuc has spent about 14,400 lei (2,900 EUR) on Facebook ads<\/a> since the end of December last year. Election-related ads only started running in February. The Consulate General in Cluj-Napoca advertised for nearly 11,800 lei (2,385 EUR) in the same period<\/a>, and advertising campaigns also started in February.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The press department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade responded briefly to our questions sent to the consulates. That\u2019s all we\u2019ve learned about Facebook communication:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Our delegations draw the attention of the electorate to all the possibilities at hand that they have, so that their mails arrive at the National Electoral Office on time thanks the information published on the available platforms and by sharing it.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Now, it\u2019s the Transylvanian Hungarians\u2019 turn to say thanks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Unlike the Consulates General, the two organisations facilitating the simplified naturalisation \u2013 the Eurotrans Foundation closely related to the DAHR and the network of Democracy Centres (Demokr\u00e1cia K\u00f6zpontok) operated by the HNCT \u2013 have been campaigning since last autumn. Initially, the Transylvanian Hungarians were encouraged to register and update their data, then after the registration deadline, i.e. 9 March 2022 and the arrival of the envelopes, they started collecting mail ballots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ads posted and paid for the Eurotrans Foundation<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In its advertisements, the Eurotrans Foundation does not even try to give the impression that it is facilitating the elections as an independent organization. The vast majority of ads suggest that it is in the best interest of the Transylvanian Hungarians that the current government continue its work. Several campaign materials mention the subsidies from Hungary, noting that it is now the Transylvanian Hungarians\u2019 turn to help the Hungarian government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Foreign Minister, P\u00e9ter Szijj\u00e1rt\u00f3 and other members of the Hungarian government appear in the advertisements several times, the opposition appears only in a negative context, if ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the last three months, the Eurotrans Foundation has published 247 advertisements worth a total of 23,700 lei (4,770 EUR). About half of this amount, 10,700 lei (2160 EUR), has been spent on 119 ads in the last 30 days. However, the total cost of the campaign was certainly much more than that: making films and other creative materials could not be cheap either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Democracy Centres\u2019 campaigns are modest compared to Eurotrans<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The presence of the DAHR\u2019s opposition, the Democracy Centres operated by the Hungarian National Council in Transylvania, on Facebook is much more modest. They have spent 3,650 lei (740 euros) on advertising in the last three months, including their campaign to help refugees in Ukraine and several smaller projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Democracy Centers clearly have less resources than Eurotrans. While the latter organisation advertises with short films of impeccable quality, the motion pictures of the Democracy Centres were taken over from the news, most of their advertising materials are simple graphics, and members of the Hungarian government do not appear here either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Facebook summary of last months’ spendings<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Even though online presence is important, mail ballots are not collected on Facebook. Most of the work is done by staff of the Eurotrans Foundation and the Democracy Centres in the regional offices of the two organizations. If we take a closer look at these offices, we can see why the Eurotrans Foundation and the DAHR appear in many advertisements as one and the same entity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the very same office with the parties<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Although the DAHR and the Eurotrans Foundation are two distinct legal persons, they cover essentially the same organisation. The Eurotrans Foundation was established by the DAHR, its chairman being Zolt\u00e1n Nagy, the chief of staff is Kelemen Hunor, President of the DAHR. The Eurotrans office network<\/a> largely coincides with the addresses of the DAHR\u2019s local offices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"P\u00e9ter
Ferenc P\u00e9ter, president of Mure\u0219 County Council and Levente Kov\u00e1cs Mih\u00e1ly deputy president, local leaders of DAHR<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In other words, the local employees of Eurotrans and the DAHR work in one and the same office and premises all over Transylvania<\/a>. The question is how civic and political activity can be separated during a campaign. The situation is similar with the network of Democracy Centres<\/a> operated by the Hungarian National Council in Transylvania: these offices are at the same time the headquarters of the regional organisations of the Hungarian People\u2019s Party in Transylvania.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The extent to which these organisations converge is well illustrated by the mass text that \u00c1tl\u00e1tsz\u00f3 Erd\u00e9ly laid hands on sent out on 28 March by a Cluj County DAHR politician. In this, he urges colleagues to “take the task seriously”, as only 40% of the votes that had been collected four years ago was collected. \u201cDon\u2019t give it to the minister, don\u2019t take it to the consulate! They must get to the county DAHR!\u201d \u2013 read the message.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A day later, on 29 March, another text was sent, this time praising them: “Thanks for your work! As of today, we\u2019ve reached 60 percent. (\u2026) On the last day, our task is to get all votes of the county. (\u2026) Let\u2019s go for it!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Az
SMS messages sent by the Cluj County organisation of the DAHR<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The text message is real, but there is no quota to be reached<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Upon our question, G\u00e9za Antal, executive president of the Cluj County DAHR confirmed that they had indeed sent such texts to the elected officials and the internal management staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We also asked whether there was a quota that the county DAHR needs to achieve in terms of the number of mail ballots to be collected. According to Antal, there is no quota that anyone would have set for the Cluj County organisation of the DAHR.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The competition is not just seen in mobilization. The DAHR and HNCT often pose with envelopes collected by their staff or when they throw in the ballots at consulates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
G\u00e9za Antal, the executive president of Cluj County DAHR (to the right) throws in the ballots at the Consulate General in Cluj-Napoca<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There is no quota but there are targets<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We asked the Eurotrans and the HNCT about the quotas. The Eurotrans\u2019 answer: \u2018There is no target number. In 2018, we helped nearly 100,000 people get their mail ballots back and compiled the letter package. Without exception, these letter packages were successfully delivered to the Consulates General or to the Hungarian constituencies along the border. People need this help; this number is expected to be even higher this year.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere is no such target number set by an external party, it is not possible to standardize this work, because there are many possibilities to return the ballots. We use targets to organise our own work because it is more efficient, but they only help and impact on the internal processes.\u201d \u2013 said the HNCT.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The two office networks operate thanks to HUF 250-400 million grants every year<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Both the Eurotrans Foundation and the Democracy Centres operate with the support of the Hungarian government, more precisely the Prime Minister’s Office. We requested<\/a> their contracts and settlements with data requests. The Prime Minister\u2019s Office partially complied with our request: it did not send the documents but gave us the opportunity to flip through them and take notes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since 2017, the Eurotrans Foundation has received subsidies between 250 million – 400 million HUF (680 thousand to 1 million EUR) annually from the Prime Minister\u2019s Office and the G\u00e1bor Bethlen Fund. The foundation had 71 employees in 2020, spending most of the subsidies for wages. In 2020, for example, they forecast to spend 212 million HUF (578,000 EUR) for this purpose, and 120 million HUF (320,000 EUR) was set aside in their budgets for material expenses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n