Italian paper: Hungary may veto the new NATO leader with a surprising ally

It appears that the Hungarians will veto the next secretary general of NATO. And doing so, they can rely on an old friend from Central Europe. At least, that is what the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera suggests based on unnamed sources.

The Italian news outlet’s information was summed up by index.hu. The victim of the joint veto is expected to be Ursula von der Leyen, the incumbent chairwoman of the European Commission. Based on the Italian paper, Jens Stoltenberg, the acting secretary-general will leave the office this year. His mandate started in 2014, but he would not like to prolong it, so his assignment will end on 30 September. The secretary general of NATO varies between the member states, but the military leader is always American.

There is no official election for the secretary general. The 30 alliance members appoint its next leader unanimously behind closed doors. Americans usually do not have a candidate (since they always chair the military branch and the NATO is a military alliance), but traditionally have a significant influence on the process since it is important for Washington who the next secretary-general will be.

NATO veto from London, too