Orban ‘consults’ his citizens on Ukraine’s EU membership

Brussels – Do everything possible to block Ukraine’s entry into the European Union. This is the goal of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who, in addition to getting in the way of every vote on the matter held in the European Council, has also launched a kind of “popular consultation” for April to hear what his fellow citizens think about it.

It is not a real referendum, but a massive sending of emails to Hungarians (improperly using the data they registered for health purposes during the Covid vaccination campaign) in which, with a blunt question, they are asked whether they favor this entry.

The initiative, which has been used before, is called Voks 2025, and the purpose is clear: to find a popular consensus to say “no” to Kyiv. One of the problems is that the consultation is clearly government-driven as Hungarians will receive, in addition to an aseptic questionnaire, Orban’s views on the problems this enlargement could create for Hungarians. There will be no mention of the advantages that an entry could create.

There will also be no mention of the government’s expensive campaign nationwide, hanging posters with the slogan “They can’t decide over our heads.” A classic populist-style appeal. Of course, the “enemies” are also clearly pointed out to Hungarian voters: EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European People’s Party Chairman Manfred Weber, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accusing them of being the ones who want to make “every Hungarian family” pay a heavy price, and create “serious risks for the economy and security.”

Orban often uses these consultations, but they are usually a failure because Hungarian citizens do not respond. On average, less than 16 percent of voters have expressed their opinion in the 15 years of Orban’s rule. These are most likely the most determined supporters, and when communicating the results, Orban emphasized the (usually overwhelming) majority that emerges from the count while significantly downplaying voter turnout. It is unclear then what kind of safeguards exist around the vote count.
Still, everything works in favor of Orban, who quietly spends public money (and Hungary is not a country with such rich pockets) on a non-binding, non-transparent consultation, but one that nonetheless is likely to serve his interests, even though known polls suggest a slim majority would be in favor of rapid EU enlargement to Ukraine.