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Viktor Orban’s bid to strike a blow against Brussels faltered Sunday night after his referendum on whether Hungary should accept EU migrant quotas was declared invalid after it failed to meet the turnout threshold.

More than 98 per cent of Hungarians voted No to the quotas in the referendum, but only 45 per cent of the eight million Hungarians registered to cast their vote did so, falling short of the required 50 per cent to make it legally valid.

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Orban played down his failure to bring enough voters to the polls last night, insisting there would be “legal consequences” regardless of the outcome.

The referendum was the brainchild of the far-right prime minister, who cast the No vote as a defence of the country’s sovereignty and independence.

His 18 billions forints ($86 million) No campaign focused heavily on the fact that Isil terrorists, such as those behind the Paris and Brussels attacks, posed as migrants in 2015 while returning from Syria along the so-called “Balkans route” of eastern European countries, including Hungary.