Mayor Yury Luzhkov slammed Federation Council Speaker Sergei Mironov on Tuesday, calling him a “protector of nighttime alcoholics [and] nighttime drinking,” RIA-Novosti reported.
He also called Mironov an alcohol lobbyist when speaking at a city government meeting.
Luzhkov’s outburst was caused by Mironov’s criticism of a decision by the mayor to ban sales of strong alcohol from 10 p.m. to 10 a.m. starting Wednesday.
Mironov wrote on his blog on Aug. 22 that the ban would promote illegal alcohol sales instead of curbing drinking, as did similar bans during the Soviet era. He said he considered selling alcohol in specialized shops a more effective measure.
(MT)
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