Based on the exit poll 95 percent said NO to the mandatory refugee quota at the Hungarian referendum, but the turnout is most probably lower than 50 percent which is needed for it to be legally valid.
Gergely Gulyás, vice-president of Fidesz regarded the quotareferendum as the overwhelming victory of those who oppose the unlimited mandatory resettlement, based on the exit poll and the turnout data. ”We consider the decision of the voters binding for us”, he emphasised at the event of the governing parties in Budapest. In a legal sense the decision remains in the hands of the parliament, politically the result is binding, he added. Mr Gulyás said that based on the turnout data released during the day and the exit poll the turnout will be around 45 percent, there will be less than 5 percent of invalid votes and 95 percent valid ”NO” votes.
The government received the political legitimacy to protect Hungary from the mandatory quota in Brussels and everywhere else, deputy prime minister Zsolt Semjén said. According to the president of the Christian-Democratic KNDP party the turnout was high, especially compared to other referanda and elections in Europe.
The head of the national election commission later announced that the final turnout data, as well as the results will be published between 10 and 11 PM tonight.
