Hungary’s government is launching a so-called “national petition” this week against the European Union’s support for Ukraine, a government official said Tuesday, ahead of intensely fought elections in April.
The petition is the latest in a series of taxpayer-funded surveys aimed at legitimising the policy positions of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has remained Moscow’s closest partner in the 27-nation EU despite the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Letters containing the petition are currently being sent out to households, Hungarian state secretary Janos Nagy told pro-government broadcaster HirTV.
The campaign is expected to be accompanied by a barrage of billboards, television and internet adverts.
The petition allows citizens to express opposition to “further financing the Russian-Ukrainian war”, “funding the functioning of the Ukrainian state for the next 10 years” and “raising the utility costs, because of the war”.
Respondents are asked to indicate if they oppose one, two or three of the presented notions by ticking their respective boxes and send back the letters by March 23, about three weeks before the general election.
In the April 12 vote, Orban is facing his toughest challenge since he returned to power in 2010, according to opinion polls, against a backdrop of a stagnating economy and growing discontent with public services, among other issues.
The nationalist leader seeks to portray his main challenger, Peter Magyar, as “Brussels‘ puppet” intent on raising funds for Kyiv via austerity measures.
But Magyar has denied the allegations, accusing the government of using the petition to distract people from the “real issues”.
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