Hungary’s Orban Proposes Referendum to Push Back Against EU on LGBTQ Law
- Premier seeks a reset in his campaign after string of scandals
- Move to deepen EU fight over values, may delay pandemic funds
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Prime Minister Viktor Orban proposed a referendum to push back against European Union pressure to change a Hungarian anti-LGBTQ law that sparked a furious reaction in the bloc, including calls to cut off the nation’s funding.
The move suggests Orban, facing the most closely-fought parliamentary election since he started an unbroken stretch as premier in 2010, is digging in his heels in Hungary’s fight with the EU over democratic values and making the issue central in next year’s vote. It may also reduce the chance that billions of euros in EU pandemic funds will be released quickly.