DE4CC0DE-5FC3-4494-BCBF-4D50B00366B5

Hungary Scraps Sunday Shopping Ban As Orban Pre-Empts Referendum

By Publications Checkout
Share this article
Hungary Scraps Sunday Shopping Ban As Orban Pre-Empts Referendum

Hungarian lawmakers have scrapped an unpopular Sunday shopping ban implemented by Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s administration last year, as the government moves to pre-empt an opposition referendum to avoid a ballot-box defeat.

Lawmakers voted 163 for and two against, with 11 abstentions, to lift the ban that barred all but a few shops from opening on Sundays, according to a tally posted on the parliament’s website on Tuesday.

The Sunday shopping ban came to the fore last week, after Hungary’s Supreme Court approved an opposition-party request to hold a referendum on the ban, which took effect in March of last year.

More than two thirds opposed the ban, an Ipsos poll published on 4 December showed.

News by Bloomberg, edited by ESM. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazineclick here.

ADVERTISEMENT
Get the week's top grocery retail news

The most important stories from European grocery retail direct to your inbox every Thursday

Processing your request...

Thanks! please check your email to confirm your subscription.

By signing up you are agreeing to our terms & conditions and privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.