Hungarian Parliament approves Sweden's NATO bid

Hungary’s lawmakers have approved a bill on Sweden’s bid to join NATO, with 188 votes in favor and 6 against out of 199 MPs present in the voting on Monday. The decision was made on the first day of the spring session at the Hungarian Parliament.

According to Prime Minister Viktor Orban, “The Swedish-Hungarian military cooperation and Sweden’s NATO accession strengthen Hungary’s security.” However, Elod Novak of the Opposition party Our Homeland was among the MPs who voted against it, urging to “veto the path that leads to World War III.”

Hungary is now the last of the 31 NATO member countries to approve Sweden’s bid with the ratification. Sweden is set to become the alliance’s 32nd member at the next summit in Washington DC in July, pending the bill being signed by Hungary’s newly elected President Tamas Sulyok.

Following the ratification, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson hailed it as “a historic day” and expressed readiness to contribute to Euro-Atlantic security. Sweden’s NATO application came after the Ukrainian crisis in February 2022, requiring unanimous approval from all NATO members for accession.