Socialists demand review of Sunday shopping referendum decisions

Budapest, March 11 (MTI) – The opposition Socialist party has appealed to Hungary’s supreme court, the Kúria, asking it to review decisions passed by the National Election Committee (NVB) in connection with two referendum initiatives on the Sunday shopping restrictions, the party’s deputy group leader said on Friday.

The party has asked the Kúria to annul the NVB’s ruling accepting the initiative submitted in support of the already existing Sunday shopping law, Zoltán Lukács told a press conference.

The Socialists have also asked the court to annul NVB’s ruling rejecting their lawmaker’s referendum question opposing the Sunday shopping ban and approve the question for a referendum, he said.

The Kúria has 90 days to come to a decision, said Lukács, insisting that the initiatives were submitted in an unlawful manner late last month.

Socialists will stage a demonstration in front of the National Election Office on March 15 and they want a committee set up to investigate the issue, he said.

In an incident on Feb. 23, Socialist lawmaker István Nyakó attempted to submit his referendum initiative to the National Election Office but was held up by a group of “thugs” just long enough for a rival referendum question to be submitted.

Hungary’s referendum rules state that while a question is being examined, it is not possible to submit another question on the same subject.

Photo: MTI

Source: http://mtva.hu/hu/hungary-matters