Hungarian President Katalin Novak resigned on Saturday following mounting criticism for pardoning an individual convicted of concealing sexual abuse in a children’s home. Novak, a close ally of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, stepped down a week after news of her presidential pardon surfaced, sparking public outrage and opposition calls for her resignation. Former Justice Minister Judit Varga, a rising star in Orban’s Fidesz party, also resigned as a lawmaker on the same day.
The scandal represented a rare setback for Orban, who has been in power since 2010, especially with European parliament elections approaching amid the country’s recovery from an inflation crisis. Novak, acknowledging her mistake, stated on state television, “I made a mistake … Today is the last day that I address you as a president,” and admitted that her decision to grant a pardon triggered doubts about the zero tolerance for paedophilia.
Amid calls for accountability, Orban submitted a constitutional amendment to parliament, aiming to strip the president of the authority to pardon crimes involving children. This move was seen by some political analysts as a signal to Novak. Opposition parties had demanded Novak’s resignation, and a demonstration with a thousand participants took place at her office on Friday.
In an effort to mitigate political fallout, Judit Varga, who had also approved the pardon, announced her resignation from public life, her role as a lawmaker, and her position on the European party list on Facebook. Fidesz’s parliamentary group leader, Mate Kocsis, described Novak and Varga’s decisions as “responsible,” pledging the party’s respect. Fidesz leads in opinion polls ahead of the June elections, but a significant portion of voters remains undecided.
