550,000
The Hungarian government says that over 550,000 applicants have received Hungarian citizenship. According to Ministerial Commissioner Tamás Wetzel, 559,720 applicants have applied for Hungarian citizenship since the citizenship program began. Out of this number, 250,000 also requested name changes. This is because they had their Hungarian (Magyar) names forcibly taken away from them after assimilation attempts by the new states (Slovakia, Romania, Serbia) after the Treaty of Trianon. The majority of applications for citizenship came from Romania, Slovakia and Serbia, all of which have sizable Hungarian minority communities living in their countries.
The granting of Hungarian citizenship to ethnic Hungarian living abroad was enacted and passed by the conservative government when they came to power a couple of years ago. It should be noted that Hungarian leftist political parties such as the socialists and others, opposed the granting of citizenship to their ethnic Hungarian brothers and sisters. Because of this betrayal, Hungarian leftist politicians have received a "less than friendly welcome" when visiting ethnic Hungarian communities in the neighbouring countries.
Many of the ethnic Hungarians living abroad are conservative and traditional in nature and will most likely vote for right-wing parties in the upcoming elections. They often face discrimination and harassment for being Hungarian (Magyar) on a daily basis by fellow "citizens". It is not surprising that the Hungarian left-wing parties wouldn't support the citizenship program. The left-wing in Hungary tends to turn their back on Hungarian people, culture, and traditions. This betrayal will seal their fate in many national elections to come.
István
