Hungarian President Katalin Novak resigned amid a controversy over her decision to pardon a man convicted of covering up child sexual abuse in a children's home. The pardon, made last year but recently exposed by local news site 444.hu, sparked public outrage and calls for Novak's resignation.
Protests surged in Hungary, leading to her televised address on Saturday, where she admitted making a mistake and apologized to any victims who felt unsupported.
Novak, a family-focused Christian conservative politician who became president in 2022, faced growing opposition demands for accountability. Judit Varga, the former justice minister who approved the pardon, also resigned from her role leading the European elections campaign for Prime Minister Viktor Orban's Fidesz party.
Novak's departure marks a significant development in Hungarian politics, where she was a popular figure within Fidesz and a rare female politician in a male-dominated landscape. Her resignation highlights the political fallout from the controversial pardon and its impact on key figures within the ruling party.
