President Katalin Novak pardoned the accomplice of a child molester, sparking outrage in Hungary. She had to resign on Saturday. Is she a pawn sacrifice?
Katalin Novak announces her resignation.
EPA
Hungary’s President Katalin Novak announced her resignation on Saturday evening in a short-term statement broadcast on state television. She was reacting to the enormous pressure that had arisen from the public in the last few days. Novak pardoned 22 people last spring to celebrate the Pope’s visit to Hungary, including a man who had been convicted of aiding and abetting the sexual abuse of minors. This only became known a week ago and immediately sparked outrage – especially since Novak did not provide any coherent reason for the pardon.
The opposition has therefore been calling for the president’s resignation for days. On Friday evening a demonstration took place in Budapest, attended by several thousand people. On Saturday, Novak ended a visit to Qatar early and returned to Hungary. She made a mistake, she explained in her speech and apologized for it. She will always stand up for the protection of children and families.
The face of Orban’s conservative family policy
The pardoned man was sentenced to more than three years in prison in 2019 because, as deputy head of a children’s home in Bicske, not far from the capital, he had helped cover up the sexual abuse of boys by his boss for years. Not only did he know about the attacks, but he also pressured a victim to recant his statements against the home director. He was sentenced to eight years in prison. The scandal broke in 2016 after a child took his own life.
Novak’s actions also caused so much indignation because Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s ruling Fidesz party has made the protection of the traditional family and children a central concern. He repeatedly emphasizes this as a contrast to what he sees as a depraved West and uses it as an excuse to discriminate against sexual minorities.
Novak is not only a close confidante of Orban, but as a former family minister she was also the face of this policy. Even in the office of President, to which she was elected by Parliament in May 2022 at the suggestion of the head of government, she repeatedly showed herself to be a loving mother of three children. Novak was an ambassador for the Fidesz slogan “Family-Friendly Hungary” and hosted a demographic summit held for the third time in Budapest last September under the theme “Family – the key to security.” In addition to Orban, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic also appeared.
As a sign of protest, demonstrators placed stuffed animals in front of the presidential palace in Budapest on Friday evening.
Denes Erdos / AP
Novak emphasized in her resignation announcement, She issued the pardon in the belief that the perpetrator had not directly exploited the vulnerability of the children entrusted to him. She would never have forgiven someone who had physically or mentally abused children. However, their decision could raise doubts about the zero tolerance policy for child abuse and was therefore wrong.
The pro-government media initially barely reported the case. It would certainly have been possible for Orban and his party to ride out the crisis like others did before. But the Prime Minister apparently considered the affair to be too dangerous because it affected an ideological core of his policy and thus damaged credibility. On Thursday he wrote on Facebook that there could be no mercy for pedophile offenders. The government is therefore proposing a constitutional amendment, according to which people who have been convicted of crimes against minors can no longer be pardoned.
Fidesz loses two stars, Novak and Varga
It was then clear that Orban had abandoned his former confidant – her resignation was then only a matter of time. However, hardly any important decision is made in Hungary without his consent. Pardons are also carried out at the suggestion and subsequent signature of the Minister of Justice – so the government has full control.
In office at the time was Judit Varga, who resigned in the summer and was now supposed to lead Fidesz as the top candidate for the European elections in June. She also announced on Saturday evening that she would forgo running for office and withdraw from public life.
Fidesz is losing two stars in one fell swoop – Novak and Varga were practically the only prominent women in the ruling party and at the same time representatives of a younger generation. Orban had turned them into figureheads and promoted them. The fact that he was so quickly prepared to sacrifice her shows the importance he attaches to the affair.
However, many questions remain unanswered. There is still no conclusive explanation as to why Varga suggested pardoning the convict and Novak approved it. He would have served his sentence soon anyway. Rumors are therefore circulating about connections to Orban’s environment, especially since the children’s home in Bicske is only eight kilometers away from Felcsut, the head of government’s hometown.
With the departure of the two formally responsible people, Orban probably hopes that the scandal is over. That is possible, but the opposition is unanimous in demanding further explanations. The Prime Minister created the “Orban system” in which he controls everything. He could now not escape responsibility for this pardon, This was said by the head of the liberal Momentum party.
Several parties are calling for a parliamentary committee of inquiry and a constitutional amendment for a popular election of the head of state. It is said that Orban elevated loyalists to the office that was supposed to represent national unity. This damaged trust in the institution. The opposition is alluding to the fact that two of three presidents had to resign during Fidesz’s fourteen-year rule. In 2012, Pal Schmitt resigned because of plagiarizing his dissertation – after less than two years in office.