The left is trying to invalidate the referendum initiated by the Hungarian government by spreading “unfounded and false news in order to achieve this", Pál Völner, parliamentary state secretary of the Ministry of Justice, has said.
Völner reacted after news portal 444.hu, referring to an unnamed source, reported that the parliamentary state secretary "personally reassured a member of the European Commission" that one of his earlier statements should not be taken seriously. Namely, the Commission should not accept as serious his previous claim that if the referendum on October 2 were successful and the no votes won, then Brussels could send migrants to Hungary only if the Hungarian Parliament voted for it.
Referring to the reports, the opposition Democratic Coalition (DK) wrote that Fidesz had admitted in Brussels that it would have a pseudo-referendum in October, while the Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) stated that Fidesz admitted abroad that it was lying about the quotas.
The parliamentary state secretary believes that it is not the first case of “attempts to use unfounded news to put pressure on the Hungarian government” and attack the referendum with the intention of restricting national sovereignty.
He emphasized that the Hungarian government was committed to holding the referendum since Hungary’s future was at stake. Decisions being pushed by Brussels pose big risks for the country and for the families living here “and we cannot and must not take those risks”.
"Indeed, the referendum is perfectly genuine, since our aim is to change the decisions of the Brussels bureaucracy and prevent forced resettlement. Therefore, we ask people not to take risks and cast a no vote," he stressed.
He added that DK and the other opposition parties should make their positions clear, whether they support a yes or a no to compulsory resettlement, because “calling for a boycott is not an answer”.