Orbán’s government has launched over a dozen so-called national consultations since 2010 on a variety of matters, from migration to LGBTQ+ rights.
They are mail-in campaigns in which all voting-age Hungarians receive letters posing questions and inviting them to choose from a list of responses, sometimes a simple yes or no.
The questions are frequently phrased in a leading way, and the vast majority of responses tend to align with the government’s stance, according to Hungarian media, with the opposition and civil society slamming them as propaganda tools.
For example, a national consultation on the EU’s migration policies in 2023 asked Hungarians if they support Brussels creating “migrant ghettos” in Hungary. Fewer than 20 percent of Hungarians responded — but 99 percent of those who did said no.
The results are not legally binding, but are used to strengthen the Orbán government’s positions on divisive issues, which it says are backed by the majority of the electorate.
“For the first time, Hungarians have a chance in Europe to decide whether they support Ukraine’s EU membership or not,” Hungarian government spokesperson Balázs Orbán said early Friday.
