Hungarian parliamentary election, 1994

Hungarian parliamentary election, 1994

← 1990 8 and 29 May 1994 1998 →
All 386 seats in the National Assembly 194 seats needed for a majority
Turnout	68.9%
First party Second party Third party   Leader Gyula Horn Iván Pető Péter Boross Party MSZP SZDSZ MDF Leader since 27 May 1990 13 November 1992 Prime Minister Last election 33 seats, 10.1% 94 seats, 21.40% 165 seats, 24.72% Seats won 209 69 38 Seat change 176 25 127 Popular vote 1,781,867 1,066,074 633,957 Percentage 33.0% 19.7% 11.7%   Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party   Leader József Torgyán Viktor Orbán László Surján Party FKGP Fidesz KDNP Leader since 26 April 1991 18 April 1993 27 May 1990 Last election 44 seats, 11.74% 22 seats, 8.95% 21 seats, 6.46% Seats won 26 20 22 Seat change 18 2 1 Popular vote 476,416 379,295 379.573 Percentage 8.8% 7.0% 7.0%
Results of SMCs
Prime Minister before election Péter Boross MDF Elected Prime Minister Gyula Horn MSZP

Péter Boross
MDF

Gyula Horn
MSZP

Parliamentary elections were held in Hungary on 8 May 1994, with a second round of voting in 174 of the 176 single member constituencies on 29 May. They resulted in the return to power of the Hungarian Socialist Party, the former Communist party, under the leadership of Gyula Horn, who became Prime Minister. The Socialists achieved a remarkable revival, winning an overall majority of 209 seats out of 386, up from 33 in 1990. At the time, it was the most seats that a Hungarian party had ever won in a free election.

The governing Hungarian Democratic Forum was severely defeated, falling from 165 seats to 38 for third place. It was also a disappointment for the principal opposition party of the previous parliament, the Alliance of Free Democrats, which failed to capitalize on the government's unpopularity and lost seats. Poor economic performance, apparent government incompetence and a certain nostalgia for the social security of the communist era appear to be the main reasons for the result, together with significant reform of the Socialists' policies, with commitment to the expansion for the market economy and continued compensation for the victims of communism.

Despite winning an overall majority, Horn decided to form a coalition with the Free Democrats, giving him a two-thirds majority. This was partly to assuage public concerns inside and outside Hungary over an ex-communist party with an overall majority, and partly to get his reform package past his own party's left wing.

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