Hungary’s President Resigns After Controversial Pardon

This weekend, a president resigned, although it was not Joe Biden.

Biden has been taking heat over the special counsel report that found him to be a “well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory.”

Many thought that would be the end of Biden, or at the very least his backing out of the election, but instead, it was Hungary’s Katalin Novák who decided to step down.

She’s Out

Novák, who is considered to be a conservative, issued a recent pardon in a very controversial case.

She pardoned a man who had been convicted of being an accomplice in a case regarding the sexual abuse of a child.

Needless to say, the decision was not accepted by her constituents, leading to massive outrage around the country, and, quite frankly, globally.

Novák, who took office in 2022, issued the pardon about a week ago, and she has been taking heat ever since.

On Saturday, she decided to step down.

In her resignation, Novák stated, “I issued a pardon that caused bewilderment and unrest for many people. I made a mistake.”

Novák’s party, Fidesz, has been in power since 2010, but that may all come to an end now.

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a populist and member of Fidesz, is facing allegations of his own, most notably of having dismantled democratic institutions in the country and rigging elections in his party’s favor.

Novák was an ally of Orbán, as well as serving as the party’s vice president. She was also the first female president of the country.

Novák continued, “I decided in favor of clemency in April of last year in the belief that the convict did not abuse the vulnerability of the children entrusted to him. I made a mistake.

“I apologize to those I have hurt and to any victims who may have felt I am not standing up for them.

“As head of state, I am addressing you for the last time today. I resign from the office of president of the republic.”

Her resignation was widely accepted as the right thing to do, but people are still unhappy with the way things are going within the government.

One constituent stated, “I’m glad that she resigned but I think things aren’t solved this way. She’s not the main criminal, you’ve got to look all the way to the top.”