Parliament did not vote about Sweden’s NATO accession

In the absence of the governing parties, the special session of parliament initiated by the opposition lacked a quorum. With speeches made before the planned debate, Monday’s session lasted for about three quarters of an hour.

Convening a special session of parliament was initiated by Momentum after Türkiye had announced its support for Sweden’s accession at the NATO summit held in Vilnius earlier this month. The initiative was supported by the parliamentary groups of the Democratic Coalition (DK), the Socialists, Jobbik, Párbeszéd and LMP, and an independent lawmaker. The opposition parties in addition initiated including another five issues on the session’s agenda.

Addressing the session, Momentum’s Ferenc Gelencsér criticised lawmakers of allied ruling Fidesz and KDNP over their absence, asking the question: “Why do they collect their monthly pay if they do not bother to show up at their workplace?”. Gelencsér said the session was meant to address the issue of security, but “with their absence, lawmakers of the governing parties are sending the message that they don’t care about the war, and the security of Hungarians, either”. “Creating peace is now the most important task. Sweden’s membership would certainly strengthen Hungary’s membership and would guarantee peace,” he said, adding that the governing parties had kept blocking the ratification over the past year.

László Varjú, of DK, said it was “a serious sin of [Prime Minister] Viktor Orban and his government that Hungary had by now remained the only EU and NATO member to oppose the NATO membership of Sweden which is an EU member. He said Monday’s session would have been an excellent opportunity for the ratification, adding that “Viktor Orban is serving Putin and a postponement of the ratification serves Putin’s interests”.

Opposition parties outraged

Máté Kanász-Nagy, of LMP, also criticised the governing parties’ lawmakers for “disrespecting the House” by not attending the special session at which crucial issues could have been discussed. He raised the issue of battery plants, insisting that the government wanted “to turn Hungary into a battery colony” and took a decision on new plants without asking local residents about those projects.

Bence Tordai, of Párbeszéd, also criticised the government for “bringing battery plants” to Hungary while realising that the country lacked the appropriate conditions for such investments. He also criticised the government for an “irresponsible” approach to climate change and the energy crisis and refusing to consider the opposition’s proposals.