Hungary’s first female President is forced to resign after she pardoned man who helped cover up sexual abuse in children’s home

Hungary’s first female president, Katalin Novak, resigned on Saturday after pressure mounted to pardon a man convicted of helping to cover up sexual abuse at a children’s home.

Novak, a close ally of conservative Prime Minister Viktor Orban, resigned just a week after her presidential pardon was first reported.

The revelation caused a public outcry and opposition demands that she and former Justice Minister Judit Varga resign. Varga, a rising star in Orbán’s ruling Fidesz party, resigned as an MP on Saturday.

The scandal was a rare setback for Orban, who has been in power since 2010 and faces European Parliament elections as the country emerges from an inflation crisis.

Orban has campaigned for years to protect children from what he describes as LGBTQ activists roaming the country’s schools. This is one of many issues over which Orbán has clashed with the European Commission.

Protesters with banners take part in a rally in Budapest in front of the presidential offices

Novak, a close ally of conservative Prime Minister Viktor Orban, resigned just a week after her presidential pardon was first reported

“I made a mistake… Today is the last day I address you as president,” Novak, whose role as president is largely ceremonial, said as she announced her resignation on state television. She interrupted an official visit to Qatar and unexpectedly returned to Budapest on Saturday.

‘I decided to grant a pardon last April because I believed that the convict had not abused the vulnerability of children in his care. “I made a mistake because the pardon and lack of reasoning were capable of raising doubts about the zero tolerance that applies to pedophilia,” she said.

Novak pardoned a group of 25 people last year as part of a visit by Pope Francis, whose name was revealed last week.

Among the criminals named was the deputy director of a children’s home near Budapest, who was jailed for three years after forcing abused children to withdraw their accusations against the home’s director.

The director himself was sentenced to eight years in prison for the abuses at the government-run facility.

This week, Hungarian opposition parties had demanded Novak’s resignation over the case and on Friday, a thousand demonstrators gathered at Novak’s office to call on her to resign.

Protesters again rallied against the politician in the hours before she resigned. One was seen holding a sign that read in Hungarian: “Bastard.”

In an effort to limit political damage, Orban personally submitted a constitutional amendment to parliament late Thursday, stripping the president of the right to pardon crimes against children. Some political analysts had interpreted this move as a clear message to Novak.

One protester was seen holding a sign that read: ‘Bastard’ in Hungarian

Protesters in front of the presidential offices on February 10, 2024

Fidesz leads the polls ahead of the June elections, but around a third of voters are undecided

On Saturday, Judit Varga – who was expected to lead Fidesz’s list for the elections, and who also signed the pardon – said on Facebook that she would resign as a Fidesz MP and take responsibility for her decision.

“I am resigning from public life, I am resigning from my mandate as a lawmaker and also from my top position on the European party list,” Varga said.

The head of Fidesz’s parliamentary group, Mate Kocsis, said Novak and Varga made “responsible” decisions that the party would respect.

Fidesz leads the polls ahead of the June elections, but around a third of voters are undecided.

More to follow.