Deputies from Fidesz, the party of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, refused to participate in an urgent session of Parliament this Monday (5), which aimed to vote on Sweden's request to join the Atlantic Treaty Organization North (NATO) on the legislative agenda. The attitude of government parliamentarians generated criticism from the opposition.
Hungary is the only NATO country that has not yet approved Sweden's membership, which was requested in May 2022. Politicians who support Orbán's government claim that Swedish politicians have defamed the status of Hungarian democracy, and that it therefore does not exist “rush” at the moment to ratify the request. Information released by international agencies indicates that last month Orbán promised NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg that he would ask his party to vote on Sweden's membership “at the first possible opportunity”.
However, this Monday's parliamentary session, which was supported by six opposition parties, was not attended by Fidesz deputies, frustrating the attempt to set a date for the vote to take place. The opposition accused Orbán and his deputies of “defending the interests” of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who would be against strengthening NATO. Furthermore, he questioned the coherence of the peaceful speech of the Hungarian government, which usually speaks of peace as its only objective in relation to Ukraine.
Hungary's delay in approving Sweden's entry into NATO has angered some of the country's allies, who see the expansion of the alliance as a way of guaranteeing “peace and security in Europe”. The US ambassador to Budapest, David Pressman, said his country would continue to “watch this closely and hope that Hungary will act quickly.” Other ambassadors from NATO countries, such as Slovakia, Poland, Denmark and Norway, were also present at the session.
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