In Hungary, referendum on LGBTQ content in society declared invalid after campaign to spoil ballots

After weeks of talk about a tight electoral race in Hungary's general election, voters delivered a two-thirds parliamentary majority to incumbent Viktor Orbán and his Fidesz party on Sunday. But a separate referendum held on LGBTQ and transgender issues was declared invalid after a campaign by groups to spoil ballots. Orbán's government said the referendum was a vote on child protection laws, but critics say the questions amounted to discrimination against the LGBTQ community and an attempt to whip up fear over what children are taught in school and exposed to in media [...]. According to Hungary's National Election Office, fewer than 45 per cent of eligible voters cast valid ballots. Around 20 per cent of the ballots were spoiled and social media was flooded with pictures of people who decided to make drawings, or otherwise wage a protest, instead of marking an X. The referendum was largely symbolic and is seen as a response to the European Union, which launched legal action against Hungary last year over legislation that was passed in parliament.
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