Parliament votes again to abolish cross-party voting after President returns law

The Election and Referendum Amendment Law was approved at an extraordinary sitting on Tuesday, having first passed Parliament on September 10. It would remove cross-party voting from parliamentary and municipal council elections.
Under the existing system, voters can distribute their votes among candidates from different parties rather than choose a single party list. The change would end that option, although voters would still be able to choose between candidates within the party they support.
Erhürman returned the law on September 17, asking MPs to reconsider whether such a substantial change to voting rules should take effect so close to an election. He also raised questions about applying the same change to parliamentary and local elections and about its effect on independent candidates. His objection concerned the timing and manner of the change, rather than a claim that abolishing karma oy was itself unlawful.
Tuesday’s vote means Parliament has maintained its decision despite the President’s request for a further review. The legislation’s next formal steps remain to be completed before the new voting rules take effect.