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HUNGARY’S PRESIDENT RESIGNS AFTER GRANTING A PARDON TO MAN CONVICTED IN CHILD
SEXUAL ABUSE CASE

By Associated Press

Published Feb. 10, 2024, 2:36 p.m. ET

Hungary’s conservative president resigned Saturday amid public outcry over a
pardon she granted to a man convicted as an accomplice in a child sexual abuse
case, a decision that unleashed an unprecedented political scandal for the
long-serving nationalist government.

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Katalin Novák, 46, announced in a televised message that she would step down
from the presidency, an office she has held since 2022.

Her decision came after more than a week of public outrage after it was revealed
that she issued a presidential pardon in April 2023 to a man convicted of hiding
a string of child sexual abuses in a state-run children’s home.

“I issued a pardon that caused bewilderment and unrest for many people,” Novák
said on Saturday. “I made a mistake.”

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Novák’s resignation came as a rare episode of political turmoil for Hungary’s
nationalist governing party Fidesz, which has ruled with a constitutional
majority since 2010.


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Under the leadership of populist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Fidesz has been
accused of dismantling democratic institutions and rigging the electoral system
and media in its favor.

3
Katalin Novak granted to a man convicted as an accomplice in a child sexual
abuse case. AFP via Getty Images

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Novák, a key Orbán ally and a former vice president of Fidesz, served as the
minister for families until her appointment to the presidency. She has been
outspoken in advocating for traditional family values and the protection of
children.

She was the first female president in Hungary’s history, and the youngest person
to ever hold the office.

But her term came to an end after she pardoned a man sentenced in 2018 to more
than three years in prison. He was found guilty of pressuring victims to retract
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.

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3
A general view of Sandor Palace, office of the Hungarian President in Budapest,
Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024. AP

“I decided in favor of clemency in April of last year in the belief that the
convict did not abuse the vulnerability of the children entrusted to him. I made
a mistake,” Novák said Saturday. “I apologize to those I have hurt and to any
victims who may have felt I am not standing up for them.

“As head of state, I am addressing you for the last time today. I resign from
the office of president of the republic,” she said.

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Also implicated was Judit Varga, another key Fidesz figure who was minister of
justice at the time and endorsed the pardon. Varga was expected to lead the list
of European Parliament candidates from Fidesz when elections are held this
summer.

3
Hungary’s conservative president Katalin Novák has resigned amid public outcry
over a pardon she granted to a man convicted as an accomplice in a child sexual
abuse case. AP

But in a Facebook post on Saturday, Varga announced that she would take
political responsibility and “retire from public life, resigning my seat as a
member of parliament and also as leader of the EP list.”

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At the presidential headquarters in Budapest on Saturday evening, around 200
people gathered in what was originally planned as a protest to call on Novák to
resign.

After her announcement, attendees said they were happy, but that it wasn’t
enough to fundamentally change Orbán’s system of governance.

“I’m glad that she resigned but I think things aren’t solved this way. She’s not
the main criminal, you’ve got to look all the way to the top,” said Anna Bujna.

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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’s not alone.

“Her resignation was correct, because this way she saves herself from even more
people hating her and being outraged that she represented this country until
now,” she said.

Orbán’s Fidesz enjoys the highest level of support among Hungary’s political
parties, and a fragmented opposition has contributed to his winning four
straight election victories.

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What do you think? Post a comment.

His government, considered the most friendly to the Kremlin in the European
Union, has been criticized within the bloc for holding up key decisions such
as support for Ukraine and admitting Sweden into 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.


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