Orban distances himself from the president after the pedophilia scandal Shots and a house on fire – family missing in the US

Hungarian President Katalin Novák is under pressure from the opposition and the government over her handling of the pedophilia issue. It was recently announced that Novak had pardoned a man legally convicted of aiding and abetting the sexual abuse of children and young people.

The case caused great outrage. Right-wing populist Prime Minister Viktor Orban then announced on Thursday that he would introduce a constitutional ban on pardoning criminals in connection with child sexual abuse. For the first time he criticized – albeit indirectly – his political colleague Novak. The start of an opinion poll to determine whether Hungarians support the resignation of the head of state puts further pressure on Novak.

“There is no mercy for pedophile perpetrators. That is my personal belief. A discussion has arisen about the legal framework for presidential pardons.”Orban said in a video on his Facebook profile. He did not mention Novak’s name. She was a leading politician in Orban’s Fidesz party until she took office in 2022 and was elected president by parliament on the proposal of the prime minister. As a family minister, she had previously promoted a traditional image of the family and women.

Orbán’s government mainly wants to be seen as a protector of children against sexual violence. In 2021, she introduced a controversial ‘child protection law’ that bans teaching children about homosexuality in schools. Distributors of relevant publications are also obliged to make them inaccessible to minors. Critics say the spirit of this law equates homosexuality with pedophilia.

The man who was pardoned by Novak was deputy head of a children’s home in Bicske, near Budapest. According to the court ruling, he forced children to withdraw their testimonies as victims of abuse against the house director to exonerate his boss. The house director was sentenced to eight years in prison. His deputy, who has since been pardoned, was sentenced to three years and four months in prison.

The pardon had already taken place in May 2023, on the occasion of Pope Francis’ visit to Budapest. Novak did not comment on motives. Opposition media suspect that the pardon holder has good relations with the Catholic Church and Viktor Orbán’s family.

According to Hungarian media reports, a company has launched a telephone survey to determine whether the majority of citizens support Novak’s resignation. Readers of the newspaper ‘HVG’ reported to the editor that they had been called by pollsters. The company in question has already conducted several surveys on behalf of Orbán’s Fidesz party in the past. (saw/sda/dpa)