More than 100,000 people have signed a petition against the Austrian government's plan for looser smoking restrictions.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The high number of signatures means the issue will now have to be debated in parliament.
The cabinet that includes the far-right Freedom Party has decided to overturn a previously adopted general tobacco ban for restaurants and bars that was set to come into force in May.
The government's new plan has caused an outcry among doctors, unions and the general public in Austria, where 24 per cent of adults smoke, one of the highest rates among industrialised countries.
On Thursday, the Vienna Medical Association and a cancer aid organisation started collecting signatures for their petition to implement the previously agreed ban, instead of allowing smoking sections in restaurants.
Within less than 72 hours, the initiative surpassed the 100,000 signatures that are necessary to force parliament to take up the matter.
"We will continue to gather support and to collect signatures to raise the pressure step by step," said Thomas Szekeres, who heads Vienna's and Austria's medical associations.
Australian Associated Press