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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.
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.