The local election office said that one of the supporting groups, namely the LMP spinoff Párbeszéd Magyarországért (a.k.a. Dialogue for Hungary/PM), is currently not a registered political organization in the region, having missed an October 10 deadline for the processing of certain paperwork.

PM therefore does not have the legal right to name a nominee and, since the organization was listed with Kovács’s registration with the election office, the application was voided.

The left-wing parties said they will seek legal reparations in response.

The Békéscsaba by-election will be held to fill the parliamentary seat formerly held by Fidesz-KDNP’s István Köles, who passed away earlier this year.

–Material by Gergő Rácz was used in this story