(Bloomberg) -- A Hungarian referendum the government has proposed to push back against European Union pressure over an anti-LGBTQ law will probably take place in January or February, Cabinet Minister Gergely Gulyas said.
That means the vote, which has intensified a standoff with the EU, will probably be held before next year's parliamentary elections, Gulyas told a briefing in Budapest on Thursday. The general election is usually held every four years in early April.
Hungary's Orban Floats Referendum to Fight EU Over LGBTQ Law
“There's no alternative to EU membership,” Gulyas said, when asked whether the latest battle with Brussels has prompted the government to consider leaving the bloc.
The timing of the vote, which will overlap with the election campaign, reinforces the view that Prime Minister Viktor Orban is trying to galvanize voters by making anti-LGBTQ issues a central issue in the general ballot.
The united opposition has so far focused on corruption, Orban's consolidation of power and the reported use of spyware for surveillance of the premier's critics.
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