Hungary Approves Sweden’s NATO Membership; Chooses New President
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Hungary’s parliament has approved Sweden’s membership of the NATO military alliance, the last member state to do so, ending an impasse that lasted months.
Following a turbulent debate in a parliament session that also saw the official resignation of the nation’s president, Katalin Novák, 188 legislators voted yes and six against the Nordic nation’s entry into NATO.
The far-right Mi Hazánk or ‘Our Homeland’ party opposed the move, saying it would lead to World War Three. “By voting for Sweden’s NATO accession, [the ruling] Fidesz [party] and the left-liberal side once again jointly carried out the will of the globalists,” the party said in a statement.
Mi Hazánk said its representatives were the only legislators voting against Sweden’s membership to avoid “deepening the conflict” between Europe and Russia.
“Mi Hazánk remains the defender of Hungary’s interests” and rejects “the further deepening of the war with such steps,” it said, referring to Monday’s ratification of Sweden’s membership.
“In the future, we will continue to push for a compromise with Russia [on the war in Ukraine] as soon as possible so that we can bring peace within reach,” they wrote.
Monday’s vote came shortly after Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson visited Hungary to overcome tensions after Sweden criticized Hungary’s rule of law situation and the government’s perceived authoritarian style.
DEMOCRATIC VALUES
They agreed to disagree on democratic values, focusing their talks instead on defense issues
The longtime, powerful Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán told parliament on Monday that Sweden joining NATO is in the security interest of Hungary.
“We are ready to fight for each other, to give our lives for each other,” he said earlier. Orbán also announced that Sweden agreed to provide Hungary with four Swedish-made Gripen fighter jets in addition to the 14 its air force already uses as part of their cooperation within NATO.
The Nordic nation also pledged that Saab, the maker of the warplanes, will open an artificial intelligence research center in Hungary.
Several Western leaders, including Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who is expected to become the next NATO secretary-general this year, welcomed the move.
The vote was followed by the governing Fidesz, and its allies chose Tamás Sulyok to replace Katalin Novák as president of Hungary. Before he was elected the next head of state, Sulyok, 67, had been president of Hungary’s Constitutional Court.
Novák, who held the office since 2022, resigned after it was revealed this month that she issued a presidential pardon in April 2023 to a man convicted of hiding child sexual abuses in a state-run children’s home.
PEDOPHILE CRIMES
She granted the presidential pardon to, among others, the former deputy director of a children’s home in Bicske convicted of being an accomplice in pedophile crimes.
The man, identified as Andre K, had pressured victims to withdraw their testimonies about the abuse that the director of the same institution committed.
“I issued a pardon that caused bewilderment and unrest for many people,” Novák explained. “I made a mistake.”
For some opposition legislators, her resignation wasn’t enough. Parliamentarians of the liberal-leaning Momentum Mozgalom (Momentum Movement) party wore t-shirts reading “Who is responsible?” and had stickers with “Stop PedoFidesz” on their computers.
They said the ruling Fidesz party and Prime Minister Orbán knew about the child abuse scandal but tried to wash away their responsibility with the resignation of Novák, who was Hungary’s first female president.
Another powerful woman, former Justice Minister Judit Varga, resigned as legislator as she had countersigned the clemency.
Orbán has proposed to tighten legislation to make it impossible for presidential pardons for pedophiles in the future.
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