Lendvai István és az 1923-as ceglédi választás
István Lendvai and the 1923 Election in Cegléd

Summary/Abstract: The study reconstructs the 1923 election in Cegléd, which was marked by nationally famous incidents, with the help of the legacy of István Lendvai, a racist publicist, and contemporary press articles. In addition to the election events, the intellectual portrait of István Lendvai, the conditions in the Cegléd constituency and the electoral law, amended in 1922 to serve the interests of the Bethlen government, are briefly described. In the course of reviewing the events, the irregularities of the elections of the period are outlined: both the abuses by the ruling party and the threatening actions of the Association of Awakening Hungarians supporting the racist candidate. As a result, the campaign in Cegléd became a prestige battle between the two parties – the left-wing and liberal forces were doomed to defeat from the start – which often also entailed the risk of a clash between the police and Lendvai's supporters. The national scale of the election is illustrated by the mobilization of several government ministers – in addition to the security forces – to support the candidate of the Unity Party (Egységes Párt) with their personal presence; while on the other side, the Unity Party also appears in the person of Gyula Gömbös, who is now campaigning for Lendvai against his own party, together with people who would later become members of the Hungarian National Independence Party (Magyar Nemzeti Függetlenségi Párt). In short, the election in Cegléd was also an important stage in the organization of the racist group into a party.

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