The European Parliament's centre-right European People's Party (EPP) has indefinitely suspended Hungary's nationalist Fidesz party, in a blow to Prime Minister Viktor Orban just months before European Parliament elections, Al Jazeera reports.
EPP suspends Hungary's far-right Fidesz Party
STEPANAKERT, MARCH 21, ARTSAKHPRESS: The move on Wednesday, which followed more than three hours of heated debate during an assembly in Brussels, saw EEP members vote 190-3 in favour of the measure.
As part of the suspension, Fidesz will lose all membership privileges, including voting rights, effective immediately, EEP President Joseph Daul said in a tweet.
"Fidesz will be suspended with immediate effect until further notice following today's vote of EEP members," he wrote.
With the EPP originally expected to vote on whether or not to expel Fidesz from the party, conservative leaders put forward the suspension as a compromise - one aimed at defusing deepening divisions within the party.
Orban, who was in attendance, said he supported the measure and was satisfied with the result.
"We decided that we will not exercise any rights in the EPP and the voters will decide on Fidesz's place on the political map of Europe," he told reporters after the vote.
Comments from the leader of Hungary came hours after his chief of staff, Gergely Gulyas, said any suspension would result in Fidesz withdrawing from the EPP.
Currently, Fidesz makes up a small but important part of the group and is expected to pick up more seats in the May election.
