BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Almost all Hungarians who voted in Sunday’s referendum rejected the European Union’s migrant quotas but turnout was too low to make the poll valid, frustrating Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s hopes of a clear victory with which to challenge Brussels.

Hungarian women wearing traditional costumes attend a referendum on EU migrant quotas in Veresegyhaz, Hungary, October 2, 2016. REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo

Hungary’s maverick right-wing leader, whose hardline policy on migration has been criticized by human rights groups but is popular at home, nevertheless said EU policymakers should heed the “outstanding” referendum outcome.

Orban said more Hungarians had rejected the migrant quotas than had voted for European Union membership in a referendum ahead of Hungary’s 2004 accession to the bloc. Some 3.249 million votes were cast rejecting the quotas, compared with 2003’s 3.056 million votes in favor of joining the EU.

“Thirteen years after a large majority of Hungarians voted at a referendum to join the European Union, today Hungarians made their voices heard again in a European issue,” Orban said.

“We have achieved an outstanding result, because we have surpassed the outcome of the accession referendum,” he told a news conference at which he did not take questions.

The National Election Office said on its website that 98.3 percent of those who voted had rejected the quotas with 99.97 percent of votes counted. Just 40 percent of around 8.26 million eligible people had cast a valid vote, however, less than the 50 percent needed to legitimize the result. Final results are expected next week.

Along with other ex-Communist countries in Eastern Europe, Hungary opposes a policy that would require all EU countries to take in some of the hundreds of thousands of people seeking asylum in the bloc after arriving last year.

Orban, who responded to the influx by sealing Hungary’s southern borders with a razor-wire fence and thousands of army and police, says deciding whether to accept migrants is a matter of national sovereignty. He says Hungary — with its Christian roots — does not want to take in Muslims in large numbers as they pose a security risk.

In power since 2010 and with his Fidesz party still firmly ahead in opinion polls, Orban will use the referendum to keep the issue of migration on the political agenda in the run-up to 2018 elections.

Some opposition parties seized on the fact that turnout had fallen short of the threshold needed to validate the vote, with radical nationalist Jobbik calling the referendum “a fiasco” and calling on Orban to quit. Leftist opposition party DK also said Orban should step down.

Related Coverage Hungary PM hails 'outstanding' referendum result

Early on Sunday, after he cast his vote in Budapest, Orban had played down the importance of voter turnout, saying what mattered was that “No” votes rejecting the quotas should exceed the number of “Yes” votes.

Later, he said he would submit an amendment to Hungary’s constitution to put the result of the plebiscite into law.

But the invalid vote could blunt Orban’s efforts to force Brussels to change its migration policies, some analysts said.

“Obviously the government tries to sell this as a success, but this is not success: it shows Fidesz could not mobilize more voters than its own voter base plus the Jobbik voters,” said Republikon Institute analyst Csaba Toth.

Toth said the government would keep the issue of migration on the agenda both at home and abroad as “the more the political discourse was about migrants, the better for Fidesz”.

HARDLINE

Orban has been at the forefront of opposition in Europe to the position taken by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has said EU countries have an obligation to take in refugees. But his go-it-alone approach to migration is not welcomed by all.

Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni was among the first to react to the referendum, tweeting: “Nice to see a quorum was not reached.”

Earlier Gentiloni told RAI TV: “The Orban government is sending out the wrong message with this referendum. We must realize that immigration is a permanent phenomenon. You can’t leave this to single countries to sort out, it has to be confronted by all of Europe.”

While Budapest says immigration policy should be a domestic matter, human rights groups have criticized the government for stoking fears and xenophobia with an aggressive campaign ahead of the referendum, and for mistreating refugees on the border.

Slideshow (12 Images)

Last year, hundreds of thousands of migrants fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and beyond crossed Hungary on their way to richer countries in Western Europe. This year Hungary has recorded around 18,000 illegal border crossings.

Erzsebet Virag, voting on Sunday near Budapest’s eastern railway station, where a year ago thousands of migrants camped outside waiting to get on trains toward Vienna, said:

“I voted (No) because there are a lot of poor people in our country too and if more poor people come in we will be even poorer and have to work even more.”</s>Image copyright AP Image caption Prime Minister Viktor Orban called on EU leaders to note the result

Hungarian PM Viktor Orban has declared victory in a referendum on mandatory EU migrant quotas, despite a low turnout that rendered it invalid.

Nearly 98% of those who took part supported the government's call to reject the EU plan.

But only 40.4% cast valid ballots - short of the required 50% threshold.

A government spokesman said the outcome was binding "politically and legally", but the opposition said the government did not have the support it needed.

Mr Orban urged EU policymakers to take note of the result and said he would change Hungary's constitution to make the decision binding.

The controversial EU plan to relocate 160,000 migrants across the bloc would mean Hungary receiving 1,294 asylum seekers.

Ferenc Gyurcsany, leader of the opposition Democratic Coalition, said the low turnout showed that most people did not support the government.

"According to this result with such low turnout, the people do not support the government. And this is good."

There were 220,000 spoilt ballots. The number rejecting the EU scheme was 3.3 million, while 55,000 backed it.

Image copyright AP Image caption Opposition supporters rallied in Budapest on Sunday

But a government spokesman said the result could not be regarded as invalid.

"The government initiated the referendum, so both politically and legally the outcome is binding," he said.

"The 50% would have made a difference because parliament could have no alternative but to make a decision. But parliament is behind the government regarding the decision. This is a reinforced mandate for the government."

Analysis - BBC News Europe editor, Katya Adler

The referendum result is both a crushing defeat and an emphatic victory for Hungary's prime minister.

On the one hand, Viktor Orban led a prominent, expensive and relentless anti-EU and anti-migrant referendum campaign but failed to persuade most Hungarians to vote.

On the other hand, those who did vote sided with him almost unanimously, allowing him to trumpet that a higher percentage of Hungarians voted against EU migrant quotas than voted for EU membership 13 years ago.

Mr Orban says he is leading what he calls a counter-revolution against EU centralisation, a pushback against Brussels bossiness. He views himself as the man of the moment, speaking for the people of Europe.

He had hoped other countries would follow suit and hold their own referendum on migrant quotas. In fact other EU countries are simply ignoring the quotas.

What Hungary's prime minister is not calling for is "Huxit" - a Hungarian exit from the EU. Mr Orban is all too aware the his economy relies on EU subsidies.

During last year's migrant crisis, Hungary became a transit state on the Western Balkan route to Germany and other EU destinations.

In an effort to curb the influx, it sealed its border with Serbia and Croatia. The measure was popular at home but criticised by human rights groups.

Voters were asked: "Do you want the European Union to be able to mandate the obligatory resettlement of non-Hungarian citizens into Hungary even without the approval of the National Assembly?"

The EU proposal was meant to ease pressure on Greece and Italy, the main entry points for migrants and refugees into the bloc.

In December Hungary filed a court challenge against the EU plan, which would see relocations over two years.</s>The Hungarian government has failed to achieve a referendum result rejecting EU-imposed quotas on migrant numbers, after an insufficient number of people turned out to vote.

Hungarians overwhelmingly supported the government in a referendum on Sunday called to oppose any mandatory European Union quotas for accepting relocated asylum seekers, but nearly complete official results showed the ballot was invalid due to low voter turnout.

While the government claimed a “sweeping victory”, analysts said the result was an “embarrassing but not totally catastrophic defeat” for Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

With 99.25 per cent of the votes counted, more than 3.2 million voters — or 98.3 per cent of those who cast valid ballots — backed the government. But turnout stood at 43.9 per cent, the National Election Office said. Fifty-percent-plus-one-vote was needed for the referendum to be valid.

About four per cent of the votes were spoiled — twice as many as in any of the other four referenda held since 1997 — driving down the number of valid votes to just below 40 per cent.

The referendum asked: “Do you want the European Union to be able to prescribe the mandatory settlement of non-Hungarian citizens in Hungary even without the consent of Parliament?”

Orban's right-wing, anti-immigrant Fidesz party claimed victory immediately after voting stations closed, saying its own projections based on exit polls showed that 95 per cent of voters supported the government position despite an expected turnout of only 45 per cent.

Vice-chairman of Fidesz, Gergely Gulyas, said: “Today is a sweeping victory for all those who reject the EU's mandatory, unlimited quotas.

“It is a sweeping victory for all those who believe that the foundations of a strong European Union can only be the strong nation states.”

At the same time, analysts said the relentless government campaign against the EU's refugee relocation schemes had oversaturated citizens.

Tamas Boros, an analyst at Policy Solutions, a political research and consultancy firm, said: “Orban was able to dominate public discourse with an issue in which the majority was on his side.

“But it seems he went too far and overestimated how much people's opinions are transformed into votes.”

With a weak opposition in parliament and practically limitless campaign spending to promote the government position, the referendum's lack of validity was considered distressing for the government.

Mr Boros added: “Considering there was hardly any counter-campaign, that they spent some 50 million euros ($56.1 million) and everyone on the right took up the issues wholeheartedly, it's an embarrassing but not totally catastrophic defeat for Mr Orban.

“It is his first national defeat since 2006, the first time in a decade that the prime minister cannot impose his will.”

Mr Orban argued that “No” votes favored Hungary's sovereignty and independence. If a majority of voters agree, Hungary's parliament would pass legislation to advance the referendum's goal whether or not turnout was sufficient for a valid election, he said.

While the referendum has no binding legal consequences for the EU, Mr Orban hoped its passage would increase pressure on Brussels.

He said after casting his own vote: “The most important issue next week is for me to go to Brussels, hold negotiations and try with the help of this result — if the result if appropriate— achieve for it not to be mandatory to take in the kind of people in Hungary we don't want to.”

Mr Orban, who wants individual EU member nations to have more power in the bloc's decision-making process, said he hopes anti-quota referendums would be held in other countries.

He said: “We are proud that we are the first. Unfortunately, we are the only ones in the European Union who managed to have a (referendum) on the migrant issue.”

The invalid result because of the low turnout would make Mr Orban's quest to persuade Brussels to drop the refugee quotas more difficult.

Mr Boros said: “With an invalid result, it is harder for Mr Orban to claim he holds all the aces [against Brussels]. The EU will see that while there is a majority against the quota, it's not the most important issue for Hungarians.”

Separately from the referendum, the Mr Orban government is also suing at the European Court of Justice because of the EU's 2015 decision to relocate 160,000 asylum seekers from overburdened Greece and Italy. Under the original plan, 1,294 asylum seekers would be moved to Hungary.

Polls show that the relentless campaign urging citizens to “send a message to Brussels” while associating migrants with terrorism has increased xenophobia in Hungary.

Several opposition and civic groups have called on citizens to stay home and boycott the vote. Others urged casting invalid ballots that would not count in the final tally, but still could be interpreted as rejecting the government's “zero migrants” policies.

Nearly 400,000 migrants passed through Hungary last year while making their way toward Western Europe. Razor-wire fences erected on the border with Serbia and Croatia, along with new expulsion policies, have reduced the numbers significantly this year.

Last month, police reported either zero or just one migrant breaching Hungary's border area on 13 different days.

Hungary last year rejected over 80 per cent of the asylum claims made in the country, one of the highest rates in the EU, according to Eurostat, the EU's statistical office. The country granted asylum to 508 refugees, rejected 2,917 applications and had nearly 37,000 claims still being processed.</s>BUDAPEST, Hungary — Hungarians were voting Sunday in a referendum called by Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government to bolster its opposition to any future, mandatory European Union quotas for accepting relocated asylum seekers.

The government's position is expected to find wide support among voters, but 90 minutes before voting stations were to close, analysts forecast the ballot would be invalid because voter turnout would likely fail to exceed the 50-percent-plus-one vote necessary threshold.

Nearly 8.3 million citizens were eligible to cast ballots between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. (0400-1700 GMT) on Sunday. Turnout had reached 39.9 percent by 5:30 p.m. (1530 GMT), the National Election Office said.

Based on that figure, analysts at the Political Capital research and consultancy institute projected final turnout between 43.9 and 45.9 percent.

The referendum asks: "Do you want the European Union to be able to prescribe the mandatory settlement of non-Hungarian citizens in Hungary even without the consent of Parliament?"

Orban has argued that "No" votes favor Hungary's sovereignty and independence. If a majority of voters agree, Hungary's parliament would pass legislation to advance the referendum's goal whether or not turnout was sufficient for a valid election, he said.

Orban also said he would resign if the "Yes" votes won, but the vow was seen mostly as a ploy to boost turnout by drawing his critics to the polls.

While the referendum has no binding legal consequences for the EU, Orban hoped its passage would increase pressure on Brussels.

"The most important issue next week is for me to go to Brussels, hold negotiations and try with the help of this result - if the result if appropriate- achieve for it not to be mandatory to take in the kind of people in Hungary we don't want to," Orban said after casting his vote in an elementary school in the Buda hills.

Orban, who wants individual EU member nations to have more power in the bloc's decision-making process, said he hopes anti-quota referendums would be held in other countries.

"We are proud that we are the first" he said. "Unfortunately, we are the only ones in the European Union who managed to have a (referendum) on the migrant issue."

Separately from the referendum, the Orban government is also suing at the European Court of Justice because of the EU's 2015 decision to relocate 160,000 asylum seekers from overburdened Greece and Italy. Under the original plan, 1,294 asylum seekers would be moved to Hungary.

Polls show that the relentless campaign urging citizens to "send a message to Brussels" while associating migrants with terrorism has increased xenophobia in Hungary.

Several opposition and civic groups have called on citizens to stay home and boycott the vote. Others urged casting invalid ballots that would not count in the final tally, but still could be interpreted as rejecting the government's "zero migrants" policies.

Nearly 400,000 migrants passed through Hungary last year while making their way toward Western Europe. Razor-wire fences erected on the border with Serbia and Croatia, along with new expulsion policies, have reduced the numbers significantly this year.

Last month, police reported either zero or just one migrant breaching Hungary's border area on 13 different days.

Hungary last year rejected over 80 percent of the asylum claims made in the country, one of the highest rates in the EU, according to Eurostat, the EU's statistical office. The country granted asylum to 508 refugees, rejected 2,917 applications and had nearly 37,000 claims still being processed.</s>Hungarians are voting in a referendum called by Prime Minister Viktor Orban seeking support for his opposition to any future European Union quotas to relocate refugees.

Nearly 8.3 million citizens can cast ballots on Sunday and “No” votes supporting the government position are expected to be in the majority.

However there is uncertainty whether turnout will exceed the 50 per cent plus-one-vote threshold needed to be valid.

The referendum’s question is: “Do you want the European Union to be able to prescribe the mandatory settlement of non-Hungarian citizens in Hungary even without the consent of Parliament?”

Polls show that the relentless campaign urging citizens to “send a message to Brussels” while associating migrants with terrorism has increased xenophobia in Hungary.</s>BUDAPEST, Hungary — The Latest on Hungary's referendum to oppose mandatory European Union quotas for accepting relocated asylum seekers (all times local):

The president of the European Parliament is accusing Hungary of playing a "dangerous game" by holding a referendum on whether to accept mandatory European Union quotas for relocating asylum seekers.

Martin Schulz said in an interview published Sunday that Hungary would have to take in about 2,000 migrants under the quotas.

Schulz told Germany's Funke newspaper group that the referendum called by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's challenges the legitimacy of European laws.

He also suggested that countries that fail to show solidary with the rest of the EU on the migrant issue may see their financial support from the bloc cut.

Schulz called on European leaders to make clear to Eastern European countries that "solidarity isn't a one-way street," but rejected calls to eject Hungary from the EU.

Hungarians are voting in a referendum called by Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government seeking support for its opposition to any future, mandatory European Union quotas to relocate asylum seekers.

Nearly 8.3 million citizens can cast ballots Sunday between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. (0400-1700 GMT). "No" votes supporting the government position are expected to be in the great majority, though there is uncertainty whether turnout will exceed the 50 plus-one-vote threshold needed to be valid.

The referendum's question is "Do you want the European Union to be able to prescribe the mandatory settlement of non-Hungarian citizens in Hungary even without the consent of Parliament?"

Polls show that the relentless campaign urging citizens to "send a message to Brussels" while associating migrants with terrorism has increased xenophobia in Hungary.</s>BUDAPEST, Hungary -- Hungarians were voting Sunday in a referendum called by Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government to seek support for its opposition to any future, mandatory European Union quotas for accepting relocated asylum seekers.

The government's position is expected to find wide support among voters, though there was uncertainty whether turnout would exceed the 50 percent plus-one-vote threshold needed for the referendum to be valid.

The referendum asks: "Do you want the European Union to be able to prescribe the mandatory settlement of non-Hungarian citizens in Hungary even without the consent of Parliament?"

Orban has argued that "No" votes favor Hungary's sovereignty and independence. If that position secures a majority of ballots, Hungary's parliament would pass legislation to bolster the referendum's goal whether or not turnout was sufficient for a valid election, he said.

Orban also said he would resign if the "Yes" votes won, but the vow was seen mostly as a ploy to boost turnout by drawing his critics to the polls.

"The most important issue next week is for me to go to Brussels, hold negotiations and try with the help of this result — if the result if appropriate — achieve for it not to be mandatory to take in the kind of people in Hungary we don't want to," Orban said after casting his vote in an elementary school in the Buda hills.

Orban, who wants individual EU member nations to have more power in the bloc's decision-making process, said he hopes the anti-quota referendums would be held in other countries.

"We are proud that we are the first" he said. "Unfortunately, we are the only ones in the European Union who managed to have a (referendum) on the migrant issue. I would be happy to see other countries to follow."

Nearly 8.3 million citizens were eligible to cast ballots between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. Sunday. Polls show that the relentless campaign urging citizens to "send a message to Brussels" while associating migrants with terrorism has increased xenophobia in Hungary.

Several opposition and civic groups have called on citizens to stay home and boycott the vote. Others urged casting invalid ballots that would not count in the final tally, but still could be interpreted as rejecting the government's "zero migrants" policies.

Nearly 400,000 migrants passed through Hungary last year while making their way toward Western Europe. Razor-wire fences erected on the border with Serbia and Croatia, along with new expulsion policies, have reduced the numbers significantly this year.</s>Hungarians will vote Sunday in a referendum which Prime Minister Viktor Orban hopes will give his government the popular support it seeks to oppose any future plans by the European Union to resettle asylum seekers among its member states. Here's a look at what's at stake:

Orban wants to stop the influx of large numbers of Muslim migrants into Europe, arguing they threaten Hungary and Europe's Christian identity and culture. Midway through his third term as prime minister, he suggested last week that the EU should build a "gigantic refugee city" in Libya, to where migrants would be deported from Europe to file their asylum claims.

Orban says the EU needs to strengthen its borders to keep out migrants, like Hungary did last year by building fences on its southern borders with Serbia and Croatia.

The referendum's question is "Do you want the European Union to be able to prescribe the mandatory settlement of non-Hungarian citizens in Hungary even without the consent of Parliament?"

Orban says "no" votes favor Hungary's sovereignty and independence. He also hopes popular pressure will encourage other EU countries to take similar steps. Critics say poll results showing rising xenophobia and anti-migrant feelings among Hungarians are linked to the government's referendum campaign.

At least 50 percent plus one of Hungary's 8.27 million voters need to cast valid ballots for the referendum to be valid.

Despite an unprecedented barrage of government billboards, advertisements and personal appearances by ministers and lawmakers nationwide urging people to vote, polls show validity is by no means assured, even though "no" votes are expected to be in the large majority.

The far-right Jobbik party supports the government's anti-migrant position, while most of the other opposition parties and many civic groups are asking voters to either stay home on Sunday or cast invalid ballots.

"It's important to show as a citizen that you want to take part," says Marta Pardavi, co-chair of the Hungarian Helsinki Committee advocacy group. "However, given the vile nature of this referendum question, we are calling for people to cast an invalid vote."

Nearly 400,000 migrants passed through Hungary last year, making their way toward Western Europe. Yet, the criticized razor-wire fences and new expulsion policies have proven effective. During the first four weeks of September, police reported either zero or just one migrant breaching the border area on 12 different days. Last year, Hungary granted asylum to only 508 refugees and a similar number is expected this year.

The satirical Hungarian Two-Tailed Dog Party is putting up posters and distributing leaflets mocking the referendum. One of their slogans is that the average Hungarian sees more UFOs in his or her lifetime than migrants.

For the record, Hungary's Federation of UFO Research says it receives about two dozen reports a year of UFO sightings across the country.

The disadvantaged Roma minority, struggling pensioners, young families with children and people living in municipal housing are among those being warned repeatedly of what could happen if Hungary is required to take in refugees.

According to government officials, they may face subsidy or pension cuts, become victims of terrorism and violent acts or be forced to give up their homes if that happens.

The government, assisted by state television, is constantly rehashing often months' old stories about migrant attacks.

"The image of large migrant groups nearly 'darkening the sky' last year is still present in many people, no doubt reinforced by the government propaganda," says Attila Tibor Nagy of the Center for Fair Political Analysis. "The government is also assisted by the attacks in Germany and France, which it very much likes to invoke to show that migrants are dangerous."

The referendum's technical costs, including printing the ballots and manufacturing ballot boxes, total 4.9 billion forints ($17.8 million). The government says it will reveal how much it spent on the billboard and media campaign after the vote, but partial data shows expenditures of at least 13 billion forints ($47.3 million).

In contrast, the Two-Tailed Dog Party and a few other opposition groups are working with campaign budgets of around $100,000, gathered from small donations.

The government has not said what consequences a valid referendum supporting its position will have. It has mentioned possible amendments to the constitution but is shying away from specifics. Government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs brushed off suggestions that an invalid referendum would hurt Orban, saying a large number of "no" votes would be enough to bolster the official position against the refugee quotas even with a low turnout.

"The referendum can never become a failure," Kovacs says. "Full stop."

But Jobbik president Gabor Vona says Orban should resign in case of an invalid ballot and former Socialist Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany says it would weaken Orban's "infallibility."

"Brussels has already priced in the referendum and knows well that Hungarian public opinion does not like the migrants," said Csaba Toth, strategic director of the Republikon Institute think tank. "Domestically, nonetheless, a low turnout would be a serious defeat for the prime minister, especially after such a huge campaign."</s>BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungarians are voting in a referendum called by Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government seeking support for its opposition to any future, mandatory European Union quotas to relocate asylum seekers.

Nearly 8.3 million citizens can cast ballots Sunday between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. (0400-1700 GMT). “No” votes supporting the government position are expected to be in the great majority, though there is uncertainty whether turnout will exceed the 50 percent plus-one-vote threshold needed to be valid.

The referendum’s question is “Do you want the European Union to be able to prescribe the mandatory settlement of non-Hungarian citizens in Hungary even without the consent of Parliament?”

Polls show that the relentless campaign urging citizens to “send a message to Brussels” while associating migrants with terrorism has increased xenophobia in Hungary.</s>BUDAPEST, Hungary — Hungarians will vote Sunday in a referendum which Prime Minister Viktor Orban hopes will give his government the popular support it seeks to oppose any future plans by the European Union to resettle asylum seekers among its member states. Here's a look at what's at stake:

Orban wants to stop the influx of large numbers of Muslim migrants into Europe, arguing they threaten Hungary and Europe's Christian identity and culture. Midway through his third term as prime minister, he suggested last week that the EU should build a "gigantic refugee city" in Libya, to where migrants would be deported from Europe to file their asylum claims.

Orban says the EU needs to strengthen its borders to keep out migrants, like Hungary did last year by building fences on its southern borders with Serbia and Croatia.

The referendum's question is "Do you want the European Union to be able to prescribe the mandatory settlement of non-Hungarian citizens in Hungary even without the consent of Parliament?"

Orban says "no" votes Hungary's sovereignty and independence. He also hopes popular pressure will encourage other EU countries to take similar steps. Critics say poll results showing rising xenophobia and anti-migrant feelings among Hungarians are linked to the government's referendum campaign.

Despite an unprecedented barrage of government billboards, advertisements and personal appearances by ministers and lawmakers nationwide urging people to vote, polls show validity is by no means assured, even though "no" votes are expected to be in the large majority.

The far-right Jobbik party supports the government's anti-migrant position, while most of the other opposition parties and many civic groups are asking voters to either stay home on Sunday or cast invalid ballots.

"It's important to show as a citizen that you want to take part," says Marta Pardavi, co-chair of the Hungarian Helsinki Committee advocacy group. "However, given the vile nature of this referendum question, we are calling for people to cast an invalid vote."

Nearly 400,000 migrants passed through Hungary last year, making their way toward Western Europe. Yet, the criticized razor-wire fences and new expulsion policies have proven effective. During the first four weeks of September, police reported either zero or just one migrant breaching the border area on 12 different days. Last year, Hungary granted asylum to only 508 refugees and a similar number is expected this year.

The satirical Hungarian Two-Tailed Dog Party is putting up posters and distributing leaflets mocking the referendum. One of their slogans is that the average Hungarian sees more UFOs in his or her lifetime than migrants.

The disadvantaged Roma minority, struggling pensioners, young families with children and people living in municipal housing are among those being warned repeatedly of what could happen if Hungary is required to take in refugees.

According to government officials, they may face subsidy or pension cuts, become victims of terrorism and violent acts or be forced to give up their homes if that happens.

"The image of large migrant groups nearly 'darkening the sky' last year is still present in many people, no doubt reinforced by the government propaganda," says Attila Tibor Nagy of the Center for Fair Political Analysis. "The government is also assisted by the attacks in Germany and France, which it very much likes to invoke to show that migrants are dangerous."

The referendum's technical costs, including printing the ballots and manufacturing ballot boxes, total 4.9 billion forints ($17.8 million). The government says it will reveal how much it spent on the billboard and media campaign after the vote, but partial data shows expenditures of at least 13 billion forints ($47.3 million).

The government has not said what consequences a valid referendum supporting its position will have. It has mentioned possible amendments to the constitution but is shying away from specifics. Government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs brushed off suggestions that an invalid referendum would hurt Orban, saying a large number of "no" votes would be enough to bolster the official position against the refugee quotas even with a low turnout.
Voters in Hungary go to the polls for a referendum on whether to accept mandatory European Union quotas on relocating migrants. While an overwhelming majority of voters reject the EU's migrant quotas, turnout was too low to make the poll valid.