Popular reaction to Hungary’s president’s resignation over apology for pedophile case

Hundreds of protesters gathered at the Presidential Palace in Budapest on Saturday afternoon to celebrate Katalin Novak’s resignation following the scandal. Probation given to person involved in child abuse case,

Protesters say they are “satisfied” with the president’s resignation. But at the same time he believes that all this is possible thanks to the system created by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and therefore, in his opinion, Resignation is not enough to end the matter,

Novak is an ally of Viktor Orbán and part of his Fidesz party. The protesters fear that another member of the party will be elected as the new president.

Why did Novak resign?

Katalin Novak, 46, the first Hungarian woman to serve as president, resigned on Saturday following a child sex abuse scandal. It was revealed that in April 2023, During Pope Francis’ visit to Hungary, he pardoned twenty prisoners,

one of them was found A man convicted of covering up child sexual abuse at a state children’s home, Novak admitted that it “was a mistake.” To make matters worse, the now former President was the Minister of the Family at the time of the incidents.

Varga gave up public life

Minutes after Novak, former Justice Minister Judit Varga announced that she would resign from her “public life”.

Varga had held his ministerial post at the time of the pardon and it was he who had signed it. From then he left the governmentBut he was considered one of Fidesz’s key figures to lead the party in the next European elections.