Balázs Hidvéghi, a state secretary of the Prime Minister's Cabinet Office, said on Wednesday said that ballots for the referendum on Ukraine’s European Union accession are already being printed, and Hungarians will soon get the chance to have their say in the matter.
In a video posted on the government’s Facebook page, Hidvéghi inspected the printing of the ballot papers, saying: "This isn’t just a piece of paper. It protects what matters most: the opinion of the Hungarian people." The state secretary said every single ballot would be inspected in the presence of a public notary in order to rule out the possibility of abuse and manipulation.
The ballots will be delivered to all citizens by the end of May, he said.
"They have already decided in Brussels that they want to fast-track Ukraine’s admission to the European Union," Hidveghi said. "They have already commissioned and paid for the surveys that will show that the majority of Hungarians are in favour of this."
"Those doing the bidding of Brussels here at home, from [Tisza leader] Peter Magyar to [Democratic Coalition leader] Ferenc Gyurcsany, support this admission," he said, adding that rushing Ukraine’s accession posed serious financial and security risks for Hungary.
"This cannot be decided without us," the state secretary said, adding Hungarians will now be given the chance to vote on Ukraine’s potential EU membership in a public poll "that can’t be rigged".