The ruling Hungarian Fidesz party of Viktor Orban has come in for something of a backlash after its MPs voted against the Council of Europe report on Malta earlier this week.

It was mainly Hungarian and Azerbaijani MPs who constituted a very small majority that toed the Maltese government’s line on Wednesday and voted against the ‘Daphne Caruana Galizia’s assassination and the rule of law in Malta and beyond: ensuring that the whole truth emerges’ report penned by Dutch MP Pieter Omtzigt, which had been adopted with 72 in favour, 18 against and three abstentions.

Four Fidesz-KDNP MPs voted against the text that was overwhelmingly endorsed.

But Hungarian KDNP MP Lőrinc Nacsa explained his and his colleague’s vote away by saying that the assassination of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was merely a pretext to crack down on Malta. Hungary, like Malta, is facing the wrath of the European Commission, amongst others, for violations to the rule of law in the country.

On Friday, he explained away his vote at the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly by saying: “Like others, we are urging for an investigation of the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia.

“However, we find it outrageous that this proposal for a decision uses this tragic case to launch an attack on one of the member states of the Council of Europe, Malta.

“Barely one-fifth of the text deals with the murder of a journalist, which is just a pretext for making a political attack on the island, questioning its rule of law. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe is a political body and is therefore able to express political and not legal opinions.”

A number of amendments put forward by the Maltese government and supported by Hungarian Azerbaijani MPs, were heavily rejected by MPs from the 47 Council of Europe MPs.