Hungary President Quits After Contested Pardon Sparks Furor
- Katalin Novak issued a pardon in a pedophilia-related case
- Fallout threatened to undermine PM Orban’s political campaigns
Katalin Novak
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Hungary’s first female president resigned after a controversial pardon she granted in a pedophilia case threatened to taint Prime Minister Viktor Orban months before local and European elections.
Katalin Novak, a rare woman in high office in Hungary after Orban tapped her for the largely ceremonial role in 2022, announced she was quitting in a televised speech on Saturday. She apologized for her pardon, saying it had been a mistake.