Hungary's President Steps Down Amid Allegations Of Child Sex Abuse

Former Hungarian President Katalin Novak

Hungarian President Katalin Novak resigns over child abuse pardon scandal

In response to criticism over her pardoning of a man found guilty in a case of child sexual abuse, the president of Hungary resigned.

President Katalin Novak's controversial decision to pardon a man convicted of covering up crimes committed by a sexual predator at a children's home has resulted in mounting pressure on her to step down over the course of several days.

The 46-year-old, who has served as president since 2022, declared on Saturday that she would be leaving the position in a broadcast speech.

“I issued a pardon that caused bewilderment and unrest for many people,” Novák said on Saturday. “I made a mistake.”

The long-serving nationalist government of Hungary faced an unprecedented political scandal following the election of Novak, the nation's first female president.

Budapest, the capital of Hungary, saw demonstrations on Friday calling for Novak's resignation.

While the director of a state-run children's home was sentenced to eight years for abusing at least ten children between 2004 and 2016, the man that Novak pardoned was sentenced to more than three years in prison in 2018. This was for pressuring victims to retract their claims of sexual abuse in the facility.