BUDAPEST: Pressure mounts for Hungarian President Katalin Novak to step down following her controversial decision to pardon a man involved in a sex-abuse scandal last year.
In Budapest, more than 1,000 demonstrators gathered on Friday to demand Novak’s resignation. She is a close ally and former family minister of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
Opposition parties in Hungary have been vocal in calling for Novak’s removal, as well as that of Judit Varga, the former justice minister who approved the pardon and is expected to lead the ruling Fidesz party’s list for the upcoming European Parliament elections.
Although Novak had previously pardoned about two dozen people before Pope Francis’ visit to Hungary in April 2023, it has only recently come to light that one of those pardoned was the deputy director of a children’s home convicted of covering up for a sexual predator targeting residents.
Novak acknowledged this week that all pardons were contentious but asserted that she would never pardon a pedophile. In an effort to appease public outrage stemming from the case, Orbán’s Fidesz party submitted a constitutional amendment on Thursday to prevent future pardons from benefiting individuals convicted of crimes against children.
While attending the Hungary-Kazakhstan match at the World Water Polo Championship in Qatar, Novak’s whereabouts became the subject of speculation as reports emerged on Saturday indicating her plane had departed early for Budapest. Hungarian authorities did not provide clarification on whether the president had cut short her trip and, if so, the reason for doing so.
