Amerikai Magyar Hírlap, 2018 (30. évfolyam, 3-12. szám)
2018-03-09 / 10. szám
Hungarian Journal Elections 2018: About The Voting Rights Of Hungarians Living Abroad In this year’s April parliamentary elections, more Hungarians living abroad without an established Hungarian residence are eligible to vote than in 2014. A political campaign was even launched against their voting rights, and domestic public opinion polls show that a slim majority of people reject the idea that those who do not live in Hungary should be able to vote in elections. It was only after great political infighting that Hungary agreed to grant citizens living abroad without registered Hungarian addresses the right to vote in parliamentary elections. By contrast, this has long been an established political practice in other European countries. Out of the EU’s 28 member-states, 24 allow citizens living abroad to vote in parliamentary elections, while in 4 countries this right is tied to one’s place of residence. In Romania, one of our neighboring countries with a substantial Hungarian minority, the ability to vote via post for citizens living abroad was already a reality in 1990. In 2008, after an amendment to the electoral law, four representatives and two senatorial constituencies were formed for Romanian citizens abroad. Citizens living abroad were first able to take part in parliamentary elections in Croatia in 1992. In 1995, an independent constituency was created for them; since 2011 this has been expanded to three mandates within the 151-seat parliament, the Sabor. In Hungary, the voting rights of those living abroad are only unique in that there are several differences between the rights of those with a registered Hungarian address and those without one. Hungarians who do not have an address in Hungary may only vote for party lists, while Hungarians who have an address but live abroad may partake in this list vote as well as in the individual district votes. In other words, the votes of those citizens who do not have a Hungarian address are worth far less than those who have a Hungarian address; experts say roughly two and a half times less. Because the foreign votes count directly toward the list system (and not to individual seats), it is difficult to say how many mandates will ensue, but the result is that these votes will add up to the equivalent of approximately one to three representative seats. The other big difference between citizens with registered Hungarian addresses and citizens without is that those who do not have registered residences in Hungary can vote by mail, while those who have a Hungarian address may only exercise these rights in predetermined places abroad. That is, if a Hungarian living in Romania has an address in Hungary, they may only vote at the Hungarian embassy or consulates in Romania; however, a Hungarian living in London, who no longer possesses a Hungarian address, may easily post their vote via mail. In other words, the law does not distinguish between those living in the annexed territories and those living in Western-Europe, but rather differentiates based on the address in question. In February, the number of registered voters living abroad grew to 342,000, more than double what it was four years ago. It’s probable that the increase in the number of registered voters without a Hungarian address is due to the fact that many have taken advantage of the country’s simplified naturalization process - in the past this wasn’t a possibility - as well as campaign efforts that have encouraged participation. hungarytoday.hu KViHotel is the first hotel in Europe controlled by guests via the mobile app A few days ago in Budapest, Hungary, there was the inauguration of the 4 star hotel, KViHotel. This hotel, which has 40 rooms, is the first in Europe that is controlled by the guests’ smartphone via a mobile app called TMRW Hotels, from reservations, to departures. The KViHotel is located at 32 Nyár, Budapest and thanks to this app it will work with very little staff. Guests can book a room through the TMRW Hotels application up to 48 hours in advance and can even choose the floor and room they prefer, of course and of course the availability of it. When they arrive at the hotel, they only go to their rooms and through Bluetooth connection, the application can open the door of the room, so they do not need to carry cards or keys to open the door. If any of the guests thinks they are arriving too late at night, the app is also responsible for opening the main entrance door to the hotel, which for security closes at night. Guests also, through TMRW Hotels on their smartphone can control the temperature of the room (cold or hot) before they arrive. Ahh and if you need towels, cleaning service or something else, the application will also allow you to get them and even set up a light sign on the door that says “Do Not Disturb”. When paying at KViHotel, it is also done via the app with a credit or debit card and soon by Paypal. They can also use the app if they need to request a taxi to go to the airport or anywhere else they need to go. Also if you come from another country and your phone service provider does not cover this city or is extremely expensive outside your country or do not want to spend your data plan, no problems. The hotel has free broadband Wi-Fi available. The TMRW Hotels virtual customer service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In addition, guests can also access the hotel’s tele-operator service through other platforms such as Messenger, WhatsApp, Skype, iMessage and others. Leaving aside the experience of the guests, the TMRW Hotels app greatly helps the operation of the KViHotel hotel, since it organizes and optimizes room services. The algorithm of the app gives priority to rooms that are reserved for new guests, immediately after the previous guest leaves, juicylinksmag.com FARMERS AUTO * HOME * LIFE Gets You Back Where You Belong 21st Century insurance customers CALL & SAVE UP TO 18 % ON YOUR HOMEOWNERS DIRECT * NO BROKER FEE In Memóriám John N. Lauer 1939-2018 Members of the Hungarian American Coalition (Coalition) were deeply saddened to learn that John N. Lauer passed away on February 23, 2018. He had just turned 79. John was a devoted family man, outstanding business executive, philanthropist, community leader and role model to many. Due to his wife’s Hungarian background, after the fall of communism in 1989, he gained thorough first-hand knowledge of Hungary, Romania and Slovakia through dozens of visits to the region. Named an Honorary Hungarian in 1993 by Hungarian Ambassador Pal Tar, he was an active supporter of many Hungarian causes and organizations, primarily the Coalition. In one of his interviews he said: “Since the Coalition’s founding, I have been an avid and enthusiastic supporter of the mission and many of the excellent projects of this organization. With interest and pride, I have encouraged the efforts of my wife Edith and daughter Andrea as they have actively participated in HAC’s many accomplishments, which have positively changed numerous lives in the Carpathian Basin, in the Hungarian American community, and, on occasion, have been able to inform government policies and direction. The Coalition’s success has been the best possible return on investment.” In 2013, The Coalition honored John for his tremendous contributions to the Hungarian American community at the annual Gala. The celebration included a surprise performance by the University of Maryland marching band - a first at the House of Sweden. John Lauer’s thorough knowledge of Hungary, Romania and Slovakia was gained while accompanying Edith on dozens of visits to the region in the past 40 years. In 1971, the Lauers traveled to Hungary, the firstever visit for John and an emotional return for Edith after her family’s escape in 1956. In 1977 they undertook an adventure-filled first trip to Transylvania, Romania, where observation by the feared Securitate was commonplace, and their Hungarian hosts often faced police interrogation about meeting foreigners. In the years after the fall of communism in Hungary, their trips to the region increased significantly. During those visits, John Lauer met and befriended such outstanding Hungarian writers and leaders as András Sütő, László Dobos, Béla Kató,. Sándor Sára, Miklós Duray, Bishop Kálmán Csiha and others. The Lauer Family’s Pannonius Foundation began sponsoring and mentoring dozens of Hungarian students and assisting the development of various Hungarian cultural and educational institutions in the Carpathian Basin. Beneficiaries in Transylvania include Gabriella Nádas’s Godparents’ Program for the Reformed Kollégium of Kolozsvár, where the Lauers have supported the studies and have kept in contact with dozens of “godchildren,” as well as funding for Sapientia University. In Slovakia, John undertook the moral and financial support of Madách Posonium Publishers and its Posonium Literary Awards, which over a 10-year period lauded 55 outstanding Hungarian writers whose work had never been honored before. 'A Memorial Service will be held at The Cleveland Institute of Music at 4:30 PM on Saturday, March 17. A Celebration of Life will take place at the University of Maryland Memorial Chapel at 10:30 AM on Saturday, April 14. 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