Referendum – Government slams Hungarian Helsinki Committee’s call for invalid votes

Budapest, August 19 (MTI) – It is unworthy of a rights organisation which is “theoretically dedicated to” protecting citizens’ rights to call for casting invalid votes at a referendum, state secretary Csaba Dömötör said on Friday.

He responded to the Hungarian Helsinki Committee’s Thursday statement which called on voters to go to the polls at the Oct 2 referendum on the European Union migrant quota but cast an invalid vote.

The referendum will be a guarantee that Hungarians should be able to decide for themselves about issues that strongly influence their lives. The Hungarian Helsinki Committee’s position is non-sensical because referendums are one of the most important institutions of democracy. Instead of such “improper behaviour for a rights organisation”, the Hungarian Helsinki Committee should make it clear “whether or not it supports Brussels’ plans on resettlement”, he said.

In the referendum, voters will be asked:

“Do you want to allow the European Union to mandate the resettlement of non-Hungarian citizens to Hungary without the approval of parliament?”

Source: MTI