(Photo: CGTN)

The European Parliament voted on Wednesday to trigger a rare sanction process against Hungary for persistently flouting democratic rules and undermining fundamental European Union values.

The Article 7 procedure was passed by 448 votes in favor, 197 against and 48 abstentions. This is the first time ever that the European Parliament has triggered the punitive procedure against a member state.

Last December, the European Commission, the executive body of the EU, launched the same process against Poland over its judicial reforms.