1939 Hungarian parliamentary election
{{Short description|none}}
{{Infobox legislative election
| country = Kingdom of Hungary (1920–46)
| previous_election = 1935
| next_election = 1944
| seats_for_election = All 260 seats in the Diet
| majority_seats = 131
| election_date = 28–29 May 1939
| turnout = 89.72%
|party1 = Hungarian Life |leader1 = Pál Teleki |percentage1 = 49.49 |seats1 = 181 |last_election1 = 164
|party2 = Independent Smallholders, Agrarian Workers and Civic Party |leader2 = Tibor Eckhardt |percentage2 = 15.44 |seats2 = 14 |last_election2 = 22
|party3 = Arrow Cross Party |leader3 = Ferenc Szálasi |percentage3 = 14.39 |seats3 = 29 |last_election3 = new
|party4 = Social Democratic Party of Hungary |leader4 = Árpád Szakasits |percentage4 = 3.42 |seats4 = 5 |last_election4 = 11
|party5 = KNSZF |leader5 = Károly Maróthy |percentage5 = 2.37 |seats5 = 3 |last_election5 = new
|party6 = EMNSZP |leader6 = Fidél Pálffy |percentage6 = 2.14 |seats6 = 4 |last_election6 = new
|party7 = National Front |leader7 = János Salló |percentage7 = 1.75 |seats7 = 3 |last_election7 = new
|party8 = Civic Freedom Party |leader8 = Károly Rassay |percentage8 = 1.59 |seats8 = 5 |last_election8 =
|party9 = United Christian Party (Hungary) |leader9 = János Zichy |percentage9 = 1.54 |seats9 = 4 |last_election9 = 15
|party10 = MNSZFMP |leader10 = |percentage10 = 0.98 |seats10 = 3 |last_election10 = new
|party11 = People's Will |leader11 = |percentage11 = 0.24 |seats11 = 1 |last_election11 = new
|party12 = Far-right independents |leader12 = – |percentage12 = 2.95 |seats12 = 6 |last_election12 = new
|party13 = Independents |leader13 = – |percentage13 = 0.69 |seats13 = 2 |last_election13 = 10
| title = Prime Minister
| posttitle = Prime Minister after election
| before_election = Pál Teleki
| before_party = MÉP
| after_election = Pál Teleki
| after_party = MÉP
}}{{Politics of Hungary}}
Parliamentary elections were held in Hungary on 28 and 29 May 1939.Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p899 {{ISBN|978-3-8329-5609-7}} The result was a victory for the Party of Hungarian Life, which won 181 of the 260 seats in Parliament (72 percent of the parliament's seats) and won 49 percent of the popular vote in the election. Pál Teleki remained Prime Minister.Nohlen & Stöver, p940Georgi Karasimeonov. Cleavages, parties, and voters: studies from Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Romania. Greenwood Publishing Group, 1999. Pp. 70.
This was a major breakthrough for the far-right in Hungary; between them, far-right parties were officially credited with 49 seats and 25 percent of the vote.{{cite book|title=A History of Fascism, 1914-1945|last=Payne|first=Stanley G.|authorlink=Stanley G. Payne|publisher=Routledge|date=1996|isbn=0203501322|page=275}}
This was the closest thing to a free election that Hungary had seen at that point. According to historian Stanley G. Payne, the far-right bloc would have almost certainly won more seats had the election been conducted in a truly fair manner, and possibly garnered an "approximately equal" seat count and vote share with the Party of Hungarian Life.Payne, p. 275
Electoral system
The electoral system was changed from that used in 1935. The number of single-member constituencies was reduced from 199 to 135, whilst the number of multi-member constituencies was raised from 11 to 38.Nohlen & Stöver, pp920-921Nohlen & Stöver, p933 Additionally, the franchise had been significantly expanded, with all men over 26 and all women over 30 now allowed to vote.
Results
{{Election results
|image=File:Hungarian Parliament 1939.svg
|party1=Party of Hungarian Life|votes1=1824573|seats1=181|sc1=+17
|party2=Independent Smallholders Party|votes2=569054|seats2=14|sc2=–8
|party3=Arrow Cross Party|votes3=530405|seats3=29|sc3=New
|party4=Social Democratic Party of Hungary|votes4=126237|seats4=5|sc4=–6
|party5=Christian National Socialist Front|votes5=87533|seats5=3|sc5=New
|party6=United Hungarian National Socialist Party|votes6=78806|seats6=4|sc6=New
|party7=National Front|votes7=64355|seats7=3|sc7=New
|party8=Civic Freedom Party|votes8=58639|seats8=5|sc8=–
|party9=United Christian Party|votes9=56943|seats9=4|sc9=–11
|party10=Unofficial Party of Hungarian Life candidates|votes10=46802|seats10=0|sc10=–6
|party11=Hungarian National Socialist Agricultural Labourers' and Workers' Party|votes11=36137|seats11=3|sc11=New
|party12=National Reform Party|votes12=22122|seats12=0|sc12=New
|party13=Christian National Independence Party|votes13=14024|seats13=0|sc13=New
|party14=Hungarian National Socialist Party|votes14=10872|seats14=0|sc14=–2
|party15=People's Will Party|votes15=8970|seats15=1|sc15=New
|party16=National Smallholders, Craftsmen and Workers Party|votes16=6110|seats16=0|sc16=New
|party17=Independent People's Party|votes17=3568|seats17=0|sc17=New
|party18=National Agricultural Labourers, Craftsmen and Workers Party|votes18=3453|seats18=0|sc18=New
|party19=Christian Opposition|votes19=2384|seats19=0|sc19=–1
|party20={{ill|Hungarian Racist Party|hu|Magyar Fajvédő Párt}}|votes20=1288|seats20=0|sc20=New
|party21=Far-right independents|votes21=108937|seats21=6|sc21=New
|party22=Independents|votes22=25391|seats22=2|sc22=–8
|invalid=221519
|total_sc=15
|electorate=4355778
|source=Nohlen & Stöver
}}
The total number of registered voters was 4,629,493, but only 4,355,778 voters were registered in contested seats.
=By constituency type=
{{Election results
|firstround=SMCs{{efn|The number of votes refers to only 125 of the 135 single-member constituencies, as 10 seats were uncontested.}}
|secondround=MMCs{{efn|The number of votes refers to 36 of the 38 MMCs as two were uncontested.}}
|party1=Party of Hungarian Life|votes1=766694|seats1=112|votes1_2=1057879|seats1_2=69|totseats1=181
|party2=Independent Smallholders Party|votes2=228571|seats2=1|votes2_2=340483|seats2_2=13|totseats2=14
|party3=Arrow Cross Party|votes3=192356|seats3=7|votes3_2=338049|seats3_2=22|totseats3=29
|party4=Social Democratic Party of Hungary|votes4=12630|seats4=0|votes4_2=113607|seats4_2=5|totseats4=5
|party5=United Hungarian National Socialist Party|votes5=54887|seats5=3|votes5_2=23919|seats5_2=1|totseats5=4
|party6=National Front|votes6=28341|seats6=2|votes6_2=36014|seats6_2=1|totseats6=3
|party7=Civic Freedom Party|votes7=873|seats7=0|votes7_2=57766|seats7_2=5|totseats7=5
|party8=Christian National Socialist Front|votes8=40114|seats8=1|votes8_2=47419|seats8_2=2|totseats8=3|sc8=
|party9=United Christian Party|votes9=19970|seats9=3|votes9_2=36973|seats9_2=1|totseats9=4|sc9=
|party10=Unofficial Party of Hungarian Life candidates|votes10=46802|seats10=0|totseats10=0
|party11=Hungarian National Socialist Agricultural Labourers' and Workers' Party|votes11=13010|seats11=1|votes11_2=23127|seats11_2=2|totseats11=3
|party12=National Reform Party|votes12=4489|seats12=0|votes12_2=17633|seats12_2=0|totseats12=0|sc12=
|party13=Christian National Independence Party|votes13_2=14024|seats13_2=0|totseats13=0
|party14=Hungarian National Socialist Party|votes14=10872|seats14=0|totseats14=0|sc14=
|party15=People's Will Party|votes15=8970|seats15=1|totseats15=1
|party16=National Smallholders, Craftsmen and Workers Party|votes16=6110|seats16=0|totseats16=0
|party17=Independent People's Party|votes17_2=3568|seats17_2=0|totseats17=0|sc17=
|party18=National Agricultural Labourers, Craftsmen and Workers Party|votes18=3453|seats18=0|totseats18=0
|party19=Christian Opposition|votes19_2=2384|seats19_2=0|totseats19=0
|party20={{ill|Hungarian Racist Party|hu|Magyar Fajvédő Párt}}|votes20=1288|seats20=0|totseats20=0
|party21=Far-right independents|votes21=28728|seats21=2|votes21_2=80209|seats21_2=4|totseats21=6
|party22=Independents|votes22=25391|seats22=2|totseats22=2
|invalid=70581|invalid2=150938
|total_sc=0
|electorate=1719221|electorate2=2636557
|source=Nohlen & Stöver
}}
Notes
{{notelist}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{Hungarian elections}}
hu:Magyarországi országgyűlési választások a Horthy-rendszerben#Az 1939-es választások