Kuria rejects referendum bids on Sunday shop closures

Budapest (MTI) – Hungary’s Supreme Court has upheld a decision of the National Election Office (NVB) rejecting referendum questions on the subject of Sunday shopping restrictions.

The Kuria ruled in three cases on Tuesday, rejecting the appeals mainly on procedural grounds, it said on its website.

The opposition Socialist Party re-submitted a referendum initiative without any changes to the NVB in July, in an effort to lift the current restrictions on Sunday shopping.

The Socialists said in a statement on Tuesday that the Kuria’s decision was “politically biased”. Zoltan Lukacs, the party’s deputy leader, told a press conference that after several other complaints, the Kuria now claimed it was not possible to submit a referendum question by way of a proxy. Lukacs said the NVB had accepted dozens of such questions submitted through proxies over the past years.

The ruling Fidesz party said in reaction it was “appalling” that due to the Socialists Party’s own mistake contained in their submission to the court they were blaming the Kuria and everyone else except themselves.

Photo: frsz.hu

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