Hungarian lawmakers on Wednesday voted overwhelmingly to cancel the European country's withdrawal from the International Criminal Court, as set in motion by the country's nationalist former premier Viktor Orban last year.

Orban's government decided to withdraw from the ICC, saying the court had become "political." His pro-EU conservative successor Peter Magyar, who won a landslide electoral victory in April, vowed he would reverse the year-long exit process before it takes effect on June 2.

The 199-member parliament voted 133 for, 37 against with five abstentions to formally repeal a law on exiting the ICC, just ahead of the deadline.

Magyar submitted the bill on Monday and rushed it through legislature in a fast-track procedure. It is up to President Tamas Sulyok, an Orban ally, to sign the legislation into law.

The legislation passed on Wednesday said: "in the interest of international peace and security, and for the protection of human rights it is ... necessary to hold those who committed the worst of international crimes, accountable in an international court."

The ICC's legislative body hailed an "important decision" after the government announced last Friday it would discontinue the process of withdrawal.

Orban's government announced the withdrawal in April 2025, shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Hungary for a state visit in a rare trip abroad in defiance of an ICC arrest warrant. Hungary rejected the idea of arresting Netanyahu and called the warrant "brazen."

The ICC's 2024 arrest warrant for Netanyahu was based on allegations of crimes against humanity and war crimes – including starvation as a method of warfare – in Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza, prompting US sanctions against top judges and prosecutors.

Magyar had previously indicated that Hungary would execute ICC warrants against anyone, even Netanyahu, despite inviting him to Budapest for later this year.

The International Criminal Court was set up more than two decades ago to prosecute those accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

Only Burundi and the Philippines have withdrawn from the ICC.

Set up in 2002 and backed by 125 member states, the Hague-based tribunal, seeks to prosecute individuals responsible for the world's gravest crimes when countries are unwilling or unable to do so themselves.  

Since it was founded, the ICC has opened more than 30 cases for alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and offences against the administration of justice.