The Hungarian parliament on Tuesday refused a proposal to hold a vote on Sweden’s bid to join NATO, further delaying the Nordic country’s inclusion in the military alliance, writes APNEWS.
Hungary is the main hurdle to Sweden’s admission into NATO after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan submitted a protocol to Turkey’s parliament on Monday to approve its admission. All 31 allies must endorse the accession.
The governing Fidesz party — led by populist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán who is widely considered one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s only allies in the EU — which holds an absolute majority in the Hungarian parliament, has stalled Sweden’s bid since July 2022, alleging that Swedish politicians have told “blatant lies” about the condition of Hungary’s democracy.
Fidesz lawmakers blocked the Tuesday proposal to schedule a vote, according to Agnes Vadai, a lawmaker with Hungary’s opposition Democratic Coalition party and a former secretary of state in the Ministry of Defense.
