BREAKING: Hungarian Parliament votes in favour, Sweden to join NATO – UPDATE

Congratulations Sweden! This ends a year and a half of wrangling over NATO enlargement.

188 members voted in favour of the proclamation of the Accession Treaty, six against it. This ends a year and a half of wrangling over NATO enlargement.

Six members of Mi Hazánk voted against it, and all others voted in favour.

Sweden announced on 25 April 2022 that it would apply to join NATO, together with Finland. At the time, the two countries were promised swift accession. The application was officially submitted on 18 May 2022 and approved by NATO in July.

Hungary did not start to hesitate until March 2023, almost a year after the country announced its intention to join. Last March, the Hungarian parliament approved the Finnish accession, but

for almost a year, it was not clear what Hungary’s problem was with Sweden.

As late as February 2023, Fidesz-KDNP party leaders announced that, despite having submitted draft legislation on ratification almost a year earlier, a debate on accession had emerged in the parliamentary group. The substance of the debate has not been clarified since then.

As we wrote earlier, Hungary is expanding its air force’s fleet of Gripen fighter jets with four new aircraft, PM Viktor Orbán said after meeting Swedish counterpart Ulf Kristersson in Budapest, details HERE.

Read also:

  • Swedish PM is in Budapest: NATO accession on the agenda – details, PHOTOS

UPDATE

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed parliament’s vote.

“I welcome the Hungarian parliament’s vote to ratify Sweden’s membership in NATO,”

he said on social media platform X. “Now that all Allies have approved, Sweden will become the 32nd NATO Ally. Sweden’s membership will make us all stronger and safer.”

 

Pictures from the Hungarian parliament

sweden
Diana Madunic, Ambassador of Sweden in Budapest (r) at the plenary session of the National Assembly on 26 February 2024.
Parliament approves Sweden's accession to NATO
Hungarian parliament approves Sweden’s accession to NATO. Photo: MTI

 

6 Comments

  1. Who were the six Fidesz idiots who voted against? Don’t worry you still have the raving lunatic Laszlo Kover who is the interim president who needs to sign off. Who knows what the certifiable lunatic will do?

  2. If you read the article carefully, you will see that the 6 who voted against approving Sweden were not Fidesz, they were the 6 members of Mi Házank, which means “Our Country’. They are ultra right-wing and proudly xenophobic. They only recently broke the 5 pct threshold that allows them to have any representation at all in Parliament. Their no vote was in keeping with their voter base.

  3. Thanks William. My bad. That’s what I get for only reading the headline. Hungary is Putin’s right hand inside NATO. It should be chopped off from the organization.

  4. It is pretty ironic that Sweden’s accession was approved after Mr. Kristersson came bearing gifts (4 more Gripen fighter jets), paving the way, thanks to NATO accession, to Sweden supplying Saab JAS 39 Gripens to Ukraine. As per Mr. Zelenskiy´s request:

    https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2024/02/22/saab-waits-out-political-drama-over-sending-gripen-fighters-to-ukraine/

    https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraines-zelenskiy-visits-sweden-meet-pm-royal-family-2023-08-19/

    No Gripen has yet engaged in combat, either against air or ground targets. Ukraine will be the litmus test, and we will all be able to see how the hardware our little Air Force uses stands up to Mr. Putin’s forces! Nice tactical maneuvering by the Swedes.

  5. It gives cause to express an increase disorder or fragmentation – the open exposure of not voting with Fidesz nor sustaining from voting.
    Fidesz, are “on the nose” Politically, just NOT as we know in Hungary, what over 15 years they have PRESENTED us to live in, and it will worsen, but in the European Union and in the eyes of ALL country’s that are DEMOCRACY’s.
    Victor Orban – he is a “Juggler”.
    The pressurization on Orban – to PLEASE – give a somewhat “Facial” presentation, his agreement to issues like Sweden’s rightful N.A.T.O Membership, but underneath, in his “veiling” – all part of his JUGGLING act – under watch by “Mother’ Russia and China.
    Orban is EXPOSED – not agreeing to the 1 minute “Respect of Silence” in Parliament for the “doing away” with – life of the Russian Opposition Leader.
    The “Juggler” – what PRESSURE grows on him, wanting a “foot” in each camp – Russia/China & Brussels – Dictatorship regimes or DEMOCRACY.
    Hungary – the STATE of our Economy, it’s “growing” vulnerability, that the “layers” of continual WEIGHT of economic & financial OBSTACLE’s – sooner than later, will “succumb” and be cataclysmic.
    DANGEROUS – and history never Lies, to play the “Juggling ” act / game in Politics and in Life.
    Orban – just deepen your observation, he is growing in his JUGGLER role.
    We know from Circus Performers, often Jugglers, drop what they Juggle, and they fall – fall heavily to the GROUND.

  6. Sweden should pay back dues for the last 60 years and members who are past due on there payments should be fined and pay a late charge. Europe has twice the population of Europe and US taxpayers are tired of paying the majority of cost with many deadbeat members. You have to love comments here!

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