The ruling Hungarian Fidesz party has boycotted the Monday session of the parliament, which resulted in a vote to ratify Sweden’s membership in NATO failing due to low attendance.
While the overwhelming majority of opposition MPs who attended the extraordinary session voted to admit the Nordic nation into the US-led military bloc, the lawmakers from the ruling party, which holds a two-thirds majority in the chamber, did not show up, according to Hungarian media.
Only two members of the 31-strong alliance – Hungary and Türkiye – are yet to ratify their national laws on Swedish membership. The accession will not be finalized until all nations do so.
Some Hungarian news outlets suggested that the party of Prime Minister Viktor Orban wants to stall the vote until the legislature closes for recess, delaying it until September. Türkiye is expected to approve Swedish membership in the autumn as well, though Ankara’s position on the issue so far has been mercurial.
