Katalin Novak, Hungarian President, steps down amidst controversy over child abuse pardon scandal

The president of Hungary, Katalin Novak, has resigned during a live television broadcast due to the controversy surrounding her decision to pardon a man involved in covering up a child sexual abuse case. Last week, it was revealed that Novak had granted clemency to a man who had forced children to retract their sexual abuse allegations against a director of a state-run children's home. As protests calling for her resignation grew, Novak admitted her mistake and apologized for her actions. The situation worsened when it was discovered that the names of 25 individuals pardoned by Novak in April of last year, during a visit from Pope Francis, were leaked to the Hungarian media. Among the pardoned convicts was the deputy director of a children's home near Budapest, who had been imprisoned for pressuring children to withdraw their abuse claims against the director. The director himself had received an eight-year sentence for abusing children at the government-run institution. The demand for Novak's resignation from Hungarian opposition parties and protesters led to her sudden and unexpected decision. Novak, a prominent figure in the ruling Fidesz party and a rare female politician in Hungary, is a key ally of Prime Minister Viktor Orban and previously served as his family minister. She made history in 2022 as the first woman to hold the largely ceremonial role of Hungarian president. The scandal surrounding Novak's pardon ignited a major political turmoil for Hungary's long-standing nationalist government, causing significant embarrassment for Fidesz, a party that upholds traditional family values as a fundamental component of its social policy. During her televised address, Novak admitted that she granted the pardon believing that the convicted man had not taken advantage of the vulnerable children under his care. She expressed regret to the victims who may have felt that she did not support them and acknowledged that her lack of reasoning in granting the pardon raised doubts about the government's supposed zero-tolerance policy against pedophilia.