Hungary’s conservative president resigned Saturday amid public outcry over the pardon she granted to a man convicted as an accessory in a child sexual abuse case, a decision that sparked an unprecedented political scandal for the long-running nationalist government.
Katalin Novák, 46, announced in a televised message that she would leave the presidency, a position she has held since 2022.
His decision came after more than a week of public outrage after it was revealed that he granted a presidential pardon in April 2023 to a man convicted of concealing a series of sexual abuses of children at a state children’s home.
“I granted a pardon that caused bewilderment and concern to many people,” Novák said Saturday. “I made a mistake.”
Novák’s resignation came as a rare episode of political turmoil for Hungary’s nationalist ruling party, Fidesz, which has governed with a constitutional majority since 2010.
Under the leadership of populist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Fidesz has been accused of dismantling democratic institutions and manipulating the electoral system and the media in its favor.
Katalin Novak awarded a man convicted as an accessory in a child sexual abuse case. AFP via Getty Images
Novák, a key ally of Orbán and former vice president of Fidesz, served as Families Minister until her appointment to the presidency. She has openly advocated for traditional family values and the protection of children.
She was the first female president in Hungarian history and the youngest person to hold the office.
But his sentence came to an end after he pardoned a man sentenced in 2018 to more than three years in prison. He was convicted of pressuring victims to recant their claims of sexual abuse by the institution’s director, who was sentenced to eight years for abusing at least 10 children between 2004 and 2016.
A general view of the Sandor Palace, office of the Hungarian president in Budapest, Saturday, February 10, 2024. AP
“I decided in favor of the pardon in April of last year, convinced that the convicted person did not abuse the vulnerability of the children entrusted to him. “I made a mistake,” Novák said on Saturday. “I apologize to those I have hurt and to any victims who felt that I did not defend them.
“As Head of State, I address you today for the last time. “I resign from the position of president of the republic,” he said.
Also involved was Judit Varga, another key Fidesz figure who was Justice Minister at the time and backed the pardon. Varga was expected to top Fidesz’s list of candidates for the European Parliament when elections are held this summer.
Hungary’s conservative president, Katalin Novák, resigned amid public outcry over her pardon for a man convicted as an accomplice in a child sexual abuse case. AP
But in a Facebook post on Saturday, Varga announced that he would take political responsibility and “retire from public life, resigning from my position as a member of parliament and also as leader of the EP list.”
On Saturday afternoon, at the presidential headquarters in Budapest, about 200 people gathered in what was originally planned as a protest calling for Novák’s resignation.
After his announcement, attendees said they were happy, but that it was not enough to fundamentally change Orbán’s system of government.
“I am glad that he resigned, but I think that things are not solved that way. She is not the main criminal, we have to look up,” said Anna Bujna.
Erzsébet Szapunczay, another attendee, said she was “very, very happy” with Novák’s resignation, but that “she should have resigned from the first moment, like many people in this government, because she is not alone.
“Her resignation was correct, because it saves her from even more people hating her and being outraged for having represented this country until now,” he said.
Orbán’s Fidesz enjoys the highest level of support among Hungary’s political parties, and a fragmented opposition has helped it win four consecutive election victories.
His government, considered the most Kremlin-friendly in the European Union, has been criticized within the bloc for delaying key decisions such as support for Ukraine and Sweden’s admission to the NATO military alliance.
On Saturday, the head of Fidesz’s parliamentary delegation, Máté Kocsis, said in a statement that Novák and Varga had made a “responsible decision” and that the party was grateful for their work.
Categories: Trending
Source: vtt.edu.vn