Out of 346 votes, 287 were for Swedish NATO membership and 55 against, the rest abstained.
The vote was preceded by an approximately four-hour long debate about Sweden’s membership.
During the debate, among other things, the Koran burnings and the fact that terrorists are allowed to walk freely on the streets of Stockholm were raised, but more positive voices were also heard.
For example, the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee argued, Fuat Oktay, from president Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s party AKP, in his speech for a Swedish membership because Sweden supports Turkey’s aspiration to become an EU member and that Sweden is now working more actively to fight terrorism.
The next step in the process
The next step is that Erdogan must sign the document and thereby formally approve the law ratifying Sweden’s membership. The document is then forwarded to the United States.
In order for Sweden to become a full member of the defense alliance, Hungary also needs to ratify the application.
Unclear when the Hungarian parliament will vote on Sweden’s membership
On Tuesday, the Prime Minister of Hungary sent Viktor Orbán a letter to the Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (M) where he wants Kristersson to come to Budapest for further talks about Sweden’s membership. In the past, Orbán has said that Hungary will not be the last to approve Sweden, but he no longer mentions that.
There is still no date set for when the Hungarian parliament will vote on Sweden’s membership.