Hungarian president resigns over pedophilia scandal Four Europeans return to Earth after a stay on board the ISS

Hungarian President Katalin Novak resigned on Saturday under pressure from the opposition and the government. She had pardoned a man convicted of complicity in the sexual abuse of minors. This led to widespread outrage.

“I made a mistake,” Novak said in a video broadcast by Hungarian state television. She has been head of state since May 2022. Just a few hours before her resignation, Novak had returned early to Budapest from an official visit to the Gulf emirate of Qatar. Thousands of demonstrators demanded her resignation in Budapest on Friday evening.

Right-wing populist Prime Minister Viktor Orban recently publicly distanced himself from his former political colleague Novak. He quickly submitted a proposal for a constitutional amendment to parliament, according to which criminals whose victims are children should never be pardoned.

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 children from being taught 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 in order to exonerate his boss. He had known about the abuse for years. The house director was sentenced to eight years in prison. His pardoned deputy was sentenced to three years and four months in prison.

The pardon had already taken place in April 2023, on the occasion of Pope Francis’ visit to Budapest. But it only became known a week ago through media reports.

In Hungary, heads of state play a subordinate political role. They are elected by parliament, usually on the recommendation of the strongest party. The prime minister proposed filling this position with Novak, who was previously the leading politician in Orbán’s Fidesz party.

Orban will probably be satisfied with her dismissal, because Novak has not always represented government policy in recent times. On several occasions she has been clearly critical of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, while Orban maintains good relations with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin. Novak also spoke in favor of a swift ratification of Sweden’s accession to NATO by the Hungarian parliament, which Orbán has postponed. (sda/dpa)