Swedish lawmakers vote to endorse country joining NATO

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Swedish lawmakers have overwhelmingly voted in favor of Sweden joining NATO. The 349-seat Riksdagen, or parliament, authorized Sweden’s accession to NATO on a 269-37 vote, with 43 lawmakers absent. It was the last required domestic hurdle to the country becoming part of the 30-member Western military alliance. Six of the eight parties represented in parliament were in favor of NATO membership, and the vote that followed a nearly seven-hour debate on Wednesday was seen as a formality. Both Sweden and neighboring applied to join NATO in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Two NATO countries, Turkey and Hungary, have yet to ratify the Nordic nations’ joint application.