Hungarian President resigns

"I made a mistake. I ordered a pardon last April because I believed this person did not abuse the children under his care. This ill-conceived decision has led to doubts surrounding the zero-tolerance policy for pedophilia," Hungarian President Katalin Novak, a close ally of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, said when announcing his resignation on February 10.

The decision came a week after local media reported on the Hungarian president's amnesty, sparking public outrage. The opposition demanded that Novak and former Justice Minister Judit Varga, a rising star in the ruling Fidesz party, resign.

President Novak speaks at the COP28 conference in the UAE in late 2023. Photo: Reuters

The person granted amnesty is a former deputy director of an orphanage who had been sentenced to more than three years in prison for pressuring victims to withdraw accusations against the orphanage director, who received an eight-year sentence for abusing at least 10 children between 2004 and 2016.

This incident represents a rare setback for Prime Minister Orban, who has campaigned for years to protect children from LGBTQ activists in schools. This is one of the issues he frequently clashes with the European Commission on.

Former minister Varga, who was expected to lead the Fidesz party's candidacy for the European Parliament, also announced that he accepted responsibility for approving the amnesty order and declared his departure from politics.

Katalin Novak, 46, is Hungary's first female president and also the youngest person to ever hold the presidency in the country's history, having taken office in 2022.

The President of Hungary is elected by parliament for a five-year term. The office is largely ceremonial, but the President has the power to appoint government members nominated by the Prime Minister, veto laws, or send laws to the Constitutional Court for review.

Vu Anh (According to Reuters )

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