The government backs the idea of consulting Budapest residents in a referendum on whether they want Fudan University to be located in the capital once the facts related to the investment are fully known, Gergely Gulyas, the prime minister's chief of staff said in an interview to media outlet Mandiner on Sunday. Asked whether or not a Fudan University campus will be built in Budapest, Gulyas said the investment was not at a stage suitable for public debate. Once the plans and financial terms are clear in around 18 months’ time, then a public debate should take place, he added. Responding the opposition’s claim that Fudan University was proof of the government’s commitment to the East in preference to the West, Gulyas said that as a NATO and EU member Hungary need not make declarations of allegiance to the West. He said that if the opposition prevailed in the 2022 general election, Gergely Karacsony, the current mayor of Budapest, would likely end up being the premier and Gyurcsany’s wife, Klara Dobrev, would be his deputy.