<p>Budapest: Hungarian President Katalin Novak resigned on Saturday after coming under mounting pressure for pardoning a man convicted for helping to cover up sexual abuse in a children's home.</p><p>Novak, a close ally of conservative Prime Minister Viktor Orban, pardoned some two dozen people in April 2023 - among them the deputy director of the children's home, who helped the institution's former director hide his crimes.</p><p>"I made a mistake ... Today is the last day that I address you as a president," Novak said as she announced her resignation in a speech broadcast on state television.</p><p>"I made a decision to grant a pardon last April believing that the convict did not abuse the vulnerability of children whom he had overseen. I made a mistake as the pardon and the lack of reasoning was suitable to trigger doubts over the zero tolerance that applies to paedophilia," she said.</p><p>This week, Hungarian opposition parties had demanded Novak's resignation over the case and on Friday a thousand demonstrators rallied at Novak's office calling for her to quit.</p><p>In a bid to contain the political damage, Orban, whose Fidesz party is beginning the campaign for European Parliament elections in June, submitted a constitutional amendment to parliament late on Thursday depriving the president of the right to pardon crimes committed against children.</p><p>On Saturday, Orban's former Justice Minister Judit Varga - who was expected to lead Fidesz's list for the elections, and who also signed off on the pardon - said on Facebook she would step down as a Fidesz MP, taking responsibility for the decision. </p>
<p>Budapest: Hungarian President Katalin Novak resigned on Saturday after coming under mounting pressure for pardoning a man convicted for helping to cover up sexual abuse in a children's home.</p><p>Novak, a close ally of conservative Prime Minister Viktor Orban, pardoned some two dozen people in April 2023 - among them the deputy director of the children's home, who helped the institution's former director hide his crimes.</p><p>"I made a mistake ... Today is the last day that I address you as a president," Novak said as she announced her resignation in a speech broadcast on state television.</p><p>"I made a decision to grant a pardon last April believing that the convict did not abuse the vulnerability of children whom he had overseen. I made a mistake as the pardon and the lack of reasoning was suitable to trigger doubts over the zero tolerance that applies to paedophilia," she said.</p><p>This week, Hungarian opposition parties had demanded Novak's resignation over the case and on Friday a thousand demonstrators rallied at Novak's office calling for her to quit.</p><p>In a bid to contain the political damage, Orban, whose Fidesz party is beginning the campaign for European Parliament elections in June, submitted a constitutional amendment to parliament late on Thursday depriving the president of the right to pardon crimes committed against children.</p><p>On Saturday, Orban's former Justice Minister Judit Varga - who was expected to lead Fidesz's list for the elections, and who also signed off on the pardon - said on Facebook she would step down as a Fidesz MP, taking responsibility for the decision. </p>