BRUSSELS, Jan 18 (Reuters) - The European Parliament on Thursday endorsed a call to punish Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban for damaging democracy at home by moving one step closer to suspending Budapest's vote in the bloc.
The lawmakers voted 345 for and 104 against on a resolution condemning the "deliberate, continuous and systematic efforts of the Hungarian government to undermine the founding values of the EU".
The resolution also lambasted Orban for vetoing last month the granting of more EU financial aid to Ukraine as Kyiv fights against a full-blown invasion Russia launched two years ago.
Finally, it called for another step in a rule-of-law enforcement procedure that could eventually lead to suspending Hungary's voting rights in the EU.
The so-called Article 7 punitive mechanism is lengthy and complex, meaning the maximum punishment is not likely in the foreseeable future.
Thursday's resolution is not legally binding, but it adds to political pressure on Orban ahead of a Feb. 1 summit of EU leaders in Brussels which will again try to agree new assistance for Ukraine.
