Hungary to hold referendum on refugee quotas. Orban said that his country did not want to take in large numbers of Muslims.

Hungary plans to hold a referendum on future European Union quotas for resettling refugees, the prime minister's cabinet has said, the latest anti-refugee move by the right-wing government.

Cabinet minister Antal Rogan said on Tuesday that after the parliament gives the plan the green light, President Janos Ader will have to set the date for the referendum on mandatory migrant quotas, which Rogan said was an "issue of national sovereignty".

The vote, which is expected to be held in September or early October, will be valid if turnout is above 50 percent.

• Prime Minister Viktor Orban has been increasingly virulent in his remarks about refugees and last year said that his country did not want to take in large numbers of Muslims.

Widely criticised for his handling of the flow of refugees into Europe, Orban has also been responsible for Hungary's controversial fence along its border with Serbia.

The European Union reached a deal in September to share out 120,000 refugees across the bloc.

Hungary, the Czech Republic, Romania and Slovakia all voted against the plan to share the intake of refugees, while Finland abstained.
 [aljazeera.com]
3/5/16
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