Ujhelyi called Lázár’s remarks “appalling” and noted that Lázár himself was in charge of distributing “thousands of billions of forints” in EU subsidies to the country. Lázár’s words cannot be taken as a private opinion and if his vision of Hungary’s future is that of a country outside the EU, he must resign from his post, Ujhelyi said.

DK’s executive vice chair Csaba Molnár said in a statement that the government could use the quota referendum as an excuse to leave the EU, and called on voters to stay away from the upcoming vote. Boycotting the referendum will be equal to voting remain, he insisted.

The opposition Együtt said Lázár’s remarks revealed the ruling “Fidesz’s real plan” which is to steer Hungary out of the EU. The real purpose of the planned referendum is to weaken the European Union and drive Hungary out of Europe, the party said in a statement.

Republished with permission of Hungary Matters, MTI’s daily newsletter.