The 14 outgoing members were Algeria, China, Cuba, France, Maldives, Mexico, Morocco, Namibia, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, United Kingdom and Vietnam.

According to the UN, the 14 new members were elected (with secret ballots) according to the following pattern: four seats for African States; four seats for Asia-Pacific States; two seats for Eastern European States; two seats for Latin American and Caribbean States; and two seats for Western European and other States.

Speaking from Békéscsaba on Saturday, Hungary’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Péter Szijjártó, lauded the General Assembly decision as a clear indication that “despite the insults, attacks and false charges committed against [Hungary] in the international press, the world believes that we are fit to be on the Human Rights Council.”

Szijjártó was in the town to open the 20th annual Békéscsaba Sausage Festival.

“Let us not allow certain forces, be they from the West or East or international, to attempt to discredit a country in the way in which they have tried to discredit us in recent years,” he said. “We will be working to combat this on the Human Rights Council.

“As I travel the world I have noticed that there are three things that people associate with Hungary. Generally, these are [footballer Ferenc] Puskás, pálinka and sausage,” Szijjártó said during the inauguration of the sausage festival.

Source: The Budapest Beacon

Republished with permission