Hungarian parliament to vote on Sweden NATO membership

Budapest: Hungary's parliament is set to vote on Sweden's bid to join NATO on Monday.

The matter has previously been stalled in parliament over objections from lawmakers from Prime Minister Viktor Orban's ruling Fidesz party.

Unanimous support from all 31 NATO members is required for the accession of new countries.
What do we know about the vote?

Orban has said that criticism of the state of the rule of law in Hungary by Swedish politicians had led lawmakers in his party to object to Sweden's accession bid.

On Friday, Orban met with Swedish counterpart Ulf Kristersson in Budapest and indicated that his party would support Stockholm's bid to join NATO.

"We have managed to clarify our mutual good intentions," he said after signing a deal to acquire four Swedish-made fighter jets.

"To be a member of NATO together with another country means we are ready to die for each other," Orban said. "A deal on defense and military capacities helps to reconstruct the trust between the two countries."

The nationalist Fidesz holds two-thirds of the seats in parliament alongside its coalition partner, the Christian Democratic KDNP.

The only group in the opposition that opposes ratifying Sweden's NATO bid is the far-right Our Homeland party.

Sweden first applied to join the military alliance in May 2022 in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Finland lodged its application at the same time and was admitted in April 2023.

Turkey had also long stalled Sweden's NATO membership, demanding Stockholm do more to crack down on Kurdish groups. Turkish lawmakers ratified Sweden's bid late in January.