Will Viktor Orbán resign over a child sex abuse scandal in Hungary?

Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is facing the biggest political crisis of his 14-year rule after two of his closest allies resigned over a child sex abuse scandal that has shaken the country. The scandal involves the presidential pardon of a man who was convicted of helping to cover up the sexual abuse of children in an orphanage. The pardon sparked public outrage and protests and exposed the hypocrisy and corruption of Orbán’s nationalist government.

The facts

The scandal erupted in February 2024, when a local news site revealed that Hungary’s President Katalin Novák, a close ally and protégé of Orbán, had pardoned a man named Zoltán Farkas, who was sentenced to three years in prison in 2019 for aiding and abetting the sexual abuse of children in a state-run orphanage in Budapest.

Farkas was the director of the orphanage, where at least 16 children were molested by a paedophile ring between 2012 and 2017. The ring included a former Fidesz politician, a priest, a lawyer, and a businessman, who were all convicted and jailed for their crimes.

The pardon was granted in April 2023, but it was kept secret until the news site 444.hu obtained and published the official document. The document showed that Novák had pardoned Farkas without giving any reason or explanation, and without consulting the justice ministry or the victims.

The pardon also violated the principle of zero tolerance for paedophilia, which Orbán and his party have repeatedly claimed to uphold.

The revelation caused a public uproar and demands from the opposition and civil society for Novák and former justice minister Judit Varga, another Orbán loyalist, to resign. Varga was accused of being aware of and facilitating the pardon, as well as interfering in the judicial process to protect Farkas and his accomplices.

Varga resigned on February 10, 2024, followed by Novák on February 11, 2024. Both women claimed that they had made a mistake and apologised to the public.

The arguments

The question of whether Orbán will resign over the child sex abuse scandal is still uncertain, as he has shown no sign of admitting any responsibility or wrongdoing, and has tried to deflect the blame and the attention to other issues.

Orbán has also attempted to contain the political damage, by proposing a constitutional amendment that would prevent the president from pardoning crimes committed against children, and by launching a national consultation on child protection, which critics have dismissed as a propaganda tool and a distraction.

However, Orbán’s chances of surviving the scandal and winning the elections are becoming slimmer, as the public mood and the political landscape have shifted against him.

In Budapest, crowds numbering in the hundreds have flooded the streets, demanding the resignation of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

Hungarian politician Donáth Anna has also argued that there is a need for Viktor to resign because there was no way the presidential pardon could have been given without the Prime Minister’s consent.

“We know for sure that no serious decision is made around the Fidesz House without Viktor Orbán’s knowledge and consent.

“Viktor Orbán must stand up and explain what happened. Judit Varga signed the pardon on behalf of the prime minister and his government. This is Orbán’s system, so his responsibility cannot be denied,” she wrote on Facebook.

Orbán may not resign voluntarily, but he may be forced to resign by the pressure of the people, the opposition, and the international community, or by the verdict of the voters, who will have the final say in the elections.

The child sex abuse scandal may be the tipping point that ends Orbán’s era of four terms and opens a new chapter for Hungary.