BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) 鈥 Hungary's government on Friday released a set of questions for an informal survey it will send to voters on a number of divisive issues including migration, LGBTQ+ rights and support for Ukraine, including a proposal to block further European Union assistance to Kyiv unless the bloc releases frozen funds to Hungary.
The survey, which the government calls a 鈥渘ational consultation,鈥 contains 11 questions and strikes a combative tone toward the EU, which it accuses of trying to force policies on Hungary.
One question asks whether Hungary should block an EU plan to provide unless the bloc unfreezes billions in assistance to Hungary that it has of Prime Minister Viktor Orb谩n has failed to uphold rule-of-law and human rights standards.
鈥淭hey are asking Hungary for additional support (for Ukraine) even as our country has not received the EU funds due to it,鈥 says one segment of the survey.
鈥淲e should not pay more to support Ukraine until we have received the money we are owed,鈥 one possible answer says.
Hungary's , conducted numerous times by Orb谩n's right-wing populist government since it took power in 2010, have been widely criticized by pollsters and opposition parties as propaganda tools that are manipulative in their phrasing and highly suggestive of desired answers.
Orb谩n's government says the surveys strengthen its bargaining position on the European level by demonstrating a national consensus on political issues.
The surveys are sent by mail to every Hungarian of voting age, but bear no legally binding relevance. They generally receive responses from fewer than 20% of Hungarian adults, yet the responses reflect up to 99% agreement with the government's position.
One question released Friday says the EU 鈥渨ants to create migrant ghettos in Hungary鈥 and asks whether respondents think Hungary should "accept Brussels' migration plans,鈥 or prevent the creation of migrant ghettos.
Another says the EU wants Hungary to repeal a contentious law that and warns of 鈥渁ggressive LGBTQ propaganda鈥 targeting children.
The survey includes other questions about Ukraine, including a proposal that the EU cease military aid to Kyiv and .
Hungary's government has refused to supply Ukraine with weapons since Russia launched its invasion in February 2022 and has opposed EU sanctions on Moscow for its aggression.
In the last national consultation, which concluded in January, the government said 97% of Hungarians opposed sanctions against Russia though fewer than 1.4 million people returned the survey in a country of 9.7 million.
The surveys can be returned until Jan. 10, 2024, but the government in the past has extended such deadlines to increase participation.
