Hungary’s bid to undo EU migration resettlement plan flops after shocking turnout to referendum

HUNGARY’s bid to shame the EU into changing a flagship migration resettlement plan through a national Referendum flopped yesterday.

Exit polls suggested that between only 40-45 per cent of the country turned out to vote in a Referendum called by the PM Viktor Orban in protest at Brussels’ plans to force member states to take in a set number of refugees.

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Preliminary results yesterday showed that 95 per cent of those who turned out to vote were against Brussels’ proposals.

But turnout had to reach 50 per cent for the Referendum to be binding.

Attila Juhasz, an analyst at think tank Political Capital, slammed the Hungarian PM.

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He said: "I think if turnout is around 40 percent, that is a fiasco for Viktor Orban and the government in international terms." Earlier a defiant Mr Orban said he would use the mandate to attack Brussels.

The EU commissioner in September 2015 unveiled plans to divide plans for member states to take their share of 160,000 refugees who made it to the EU. Earlier this year it implemented mandatory quotas to enforce it.

Mr Orban spent tens of millions on posters and TV ads to back his campaign to reject the plan.

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Government posters and billboards displayed around Hungary said: "Don't risk it - vote no".

Rather than trying to win, the opposition urged their supporters to stay at home and reduce the turnout figures.

At the booth, voters were asked: "Do you want the European Union to be able to mandate the obligatory resettlement of non-Hungarian citizens into Hungary even without the approval of the National Assembly?"

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Speaking before the polls opened, Mr Orban said: “We are proud that we are the first to be able to vote on this question, unfortunately the only ones.” While the leader of the Democratic Party, Ferenc Gyurcsany, said the migrant quota referendum was a step towards Hungary leaving the European Union.

During the migrant crisis, Hungary became a transit state on the Western Balkan route to Germany and other EU destinations.

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And in an attempt effort to stop the influx of migrants, it sealed its border with Serbia and Croatia.

The measure was popular at home but heavily criticised by human rights groups.

Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz yesterday called on the EU to ditch the migration quota.