The Hungarian parliament has 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. Hungary is the main hurdle to Sweden’s admission into NATO after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan submitted a protocol to Turkey’s parliament to approve its admission. All 31 allies must endorse the accession. The governing Fidesz party, led by populist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, 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 Defence.
The next possible time to vote on the ratification will be during the parliamentary session beginning Nov. 6. Hungarian officials have said repeatedly that their country will not be the last member to endorse Sweden’s bid, but Ankara’s move toward ratification suggests that the time for further holdups may be running out.
Hungary has always seemed to follow Turkey’s lead when it came to NATO expansion. After multiple delays in ratifying Finland’s NATO bid, Hungary’s parliament swiftly passed the measure in March, immediately after Erdogan indicated his government would move forward on the ratification.
