The Hungarian parliament could not approve Sweden’s admission to NATO due to a boycott of the ruling parties
On July 31, the Hungarian Parliament, at an extraordinary meeting convened at the initiative of the opposition, was unable to vote on the issue of admitting Sweden to the North Atlantic Alliance.
There was no quorum for the vote because a faction of the ruling Fidesz-Hungarian Civil Union party and its junior partners, the Christian Democrats, boycotted the meeting.
Reports this.
What happened
On July 7, the Hungarian Parliament, having completed its spring session, went on vacation, but Speaker László Kövér had to convene an extraordinary meeting because 49 opposition MPs proposed voting on the issue of Sweden’s admission to NATO.
The ruling Fidesz party, which together with the Christian Democrats holds 135 of the 199 parliamentary seats, said it would consider the issue only at the autumn session of parliament.
As a result, there were not enough votes to approve the agenda.
The meeting boiled down to an exchange of views between deputies of opposition parties on issues of domestic and foreign policy.
Hungary remains the only country in the European Union that has not ratified the documents on Sweden’s admission to NATO.
Previously, the Hungarian authorities expressed dissatisfaction with the unfriendly statements of Swedish politicians and held discussions on this topic with Stockholm.
At the same time, the Hungarian authorities coordinated their actions with the Turkish authorities, who are seeking more decisive action from Sweden against the Kurdish organizations settled there, which Ankara considers extremist.
At the same time, Budapest has repeatedly stated that it does not intend to prevent Sweden from joining NATO and will not be the last to ratify the agreement.
The Hungarian government sent documents on the admission of Sweden and Finland to NATO to parliament for ratification last summer.
On March 27, the Hungarian parliament approved Finland’s accession to NATO, postponing consideration of the issue of Sweden.
