“It is a national issue to decide who lives in Hungary and who we admit”, the Minister heading the Prime Minister’s Office said in Nagylak.

At the street forum organised in the small Csongrád County village, János Lázár said that what must be determined at the referendum is who should decide who lives in Hungary and whether Brussels or the Hungarians should be able to decide on this. The Minister, who is also the region’s Member of Parliament, told those present that immigration has been going on continuously for the past fifty years in Western Europe, but we Hungarians – although we are in the twenty-four hour – can still decide whether or not we want compulsory relocation. “The Government’s standpoint is that compulsory relocation would not improve Hungary’s competitiveness or the standard of living of the Hungarian people”, he added.

According to Mr. Lázár, there are unbridgeable differences between Brussels and the standpoint of the Hungarian Government. “According to the Brussels bureaucrats, illegal immigration must be legalised. The Hungarian Government believes that migration should be stopped, not actively organised”, he explained. Summarising his experiences at the almost thirty residential forums held during the past two weeks, the Minister said the people of Hungary do not want immigration and would like to decide themselves who they live with.

Mr. Lázár said he trusts that lots of people will go out to vote on Sunday and that Hungarians will show solidarity irrespective of party affiliations. The referendum is not about Fidesz and Viktor Orbán, he stressed. “Voters will have the chance to voice their opinion on what they think of the Government in 2018”, he said, adding that “we are ready for the challenge”. In reply to a question, the Minister explained that the referendum will have no effect on Hungary’s membership of the European Union, because Hungarian voters have one of the highest levels of commitment to Europe within the community. “We have no problem with Europe; we merely wish to retain the right to decide on a single issue”, he said.

(Prime Minister's Office/MTI)