Apparently eager to be as democratic as possible now that they have the chance, Hungarians have repeatedly exercised their new ability to put referendums on the ballot. The only ones that have passed so far were the two in which citizens voted to join NATO and the European Union. But now Hungarians will have a chance to vote on something really important: whether they will have the right to siesta.
As you probably know, a "siesta" is a relatively short post-lunch nap, common in southern European countries, Latin America, and also in North America, where it is referred to as the "conference call." According to Wikipedia, the concept is common in many tropical or subtropical countries as well as in China (which I guess is partly subtropical). Article 43 of the Chinese Constitution actually could be read to provide a constitutional right to a siesta, although I also note that Article 35 supposedly protects the right to free speech and assembly, so I wouldn't get too carried away with this stuff in the People's Republic of China.
The Hungarians seem serious about it, though. Under their system, the country's National Election Committee must approve proposed questions as being "fit for a referendum," and then supporters must collect 200,000 signatures (there are only eight million voters in the whole country). On Monday, the committee approved the question: "Do you agree that the Parliament of the Republic of Hungary should make a law about introducing the siesta?" and so the collection of signatures began immediately, or sometime later that afternoon, anyway.
Sadly, the committee did not approve a companion proposal that would have enabled Hungarians to vote themselves the right to free beer in restaurants.
Link: Reuters
