Hungary's parliament voted on Wednesday to remain a member of the International Criminal Court, reversing a decision by the previous government of Viktor Orbán to withdraw. The 199-member parliament approved the legislation with 133 votes in favor from Prime Minister Péter Magyar’s ruling Tisza party, 37 against, and five abstentions. The vote occurred just ahead of a June 2 deadline, preventing Hungary from becoming the only European Union member state not to recognize the jurisdiction of the global tribunal.
The decision to quit the court was initiated by Orbán’s government, which accused the ICC of becoming a political court. This occurred shortly after a state visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who visited despite an ICC warrant for his arrest over alleged war crimes in connection with the war in the Gaza Strip. The ICC’s oversight body and other international organizations criticized the government for failing to detain Netanyahu, with a panel of judges stating that such failures severely undermine the court’s ability to carry out its mandate.
Prime Minister Péter Magyar, who ousted Orbán in elections last month, had vowed to reverse the withdrawal before it took effect. In the bill submitted by Magyar, he stated that maintaining Hungary’s participation in the Statute of the International Criminal Court is essential to protect human rights and ensure that those who commit the most serious international crimes are held accountable before an international judicial forum.
Hungary was a founding member of the ICC, and Orbán himself signed the Rome Statute in 1999. If the withdrawal had taken effect, Hungary would have been the third country to leave the court after the Philippines and Burundi. The Assembly of States Parties welcomed the decision, as the court continues its work prosecuting those accused of war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity.