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Hungarian President Katalin Novak resigns over child-abuse pardon scandal

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The president of Hungary has stepped down on live television following backlash over a controversial decision to pardon a man involved in covering up a child sexual abuse case. President Novak’s resignation comes amidst growing protests demanding her departure after it was revealed she pardoned a man convicted of coercing children to retract abuse allegations against a state-run children’s home director.

Novak, who had granted clemency to the individual, apologized for her actions, acknowledging her mistake. This decision also led to the resignation of Judit Varga, the former minister of justice, who approved the pardon and was overseeing the European elections campaign for Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s ruling Fidesz party.

The controversy erupted when the names of 25 individuals pardoned by Novak during a visit by Pope Francis were disclosed by Hungarian media. Among them was the deputy director of a children’s home near Budapest, convicted for pressuring children to withdraw abuse accusations against the home’s director, who himself was imprisoned for child abuse.

Novak’s sudden resignation, along with Varga’s departure, came as a surprise, considering Novak’s popularity within Fidesz and her significant role as the first female president of Hungary. The scandal has dealt a blow to Fidesz, known for its emphasis on traditional family values, and has caused embarrassment for the long-standing nationalist government.

In her televised address, Novak expressed regret for not standing up for the victims and acknowledged the doubts raised about the government’s commitment to combating pedophilia. The resignations of Novak and Varga, both prominent female figures in Fidesz, represent a significant setback for Orban’s party, especially with Varga slated to lead the party’s list in the upcoming European elections.

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Czech Republic MPs vote to tighten gun laws

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The Czech Republic has passed an amendment to its gun legislation, following the recent mass shooting at Charles University. The amendment, proposed prior to the incident, still needs approval from the senate and the president and won’t be effective until 2026. Despite being considered insufficiently transformative, the amendment aims to address loopholes that allowed the shooter, a licensed gun user, to amass eight legally-owned weapons, including an AR-10 semi-automatic assault rifle.

The shooter, a 24-year-old graduate student with a history of depression, killed 14 people on campus. The legal changes propose an updated online register of guns and owners accessible to doctors, including psychiatrists. Gun shops will be obligated to report suspicious purchases, and the system will flag individuals acquiring numerous weapons. Police will gain the authority to seize weapons preventatively, especially if the owners make threats on social media, a power currently unavailable to them.

However, mandatory psychological tests for gun licenses, common in other countries, will not be enforced. Czech doctors can request such tests but are not obligated to do so before signing license applications. The legislation may undergo further amendments in parliament, but the fundamental right to bear arms for self-defense, added to the constitution in 2021 amid EU attempts to restrict weapon possession, is unlikely to be altered. With over 300,000 licensed gun owners and a million guns in the country, the Czech Republic, known for hunting and biathlon, has a majority of licenses granted for personal protection rather than sports or hunting purposes. The necessity of such personal protection in cities like Prague and Brno remains unclear in one of Europe’s safest countries.

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europe times european daily trending world news Slovakia to welcome its first female president- Zuzana Caputova
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Slovakia to welcome its first female president- Zuzana Caputova

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Zuzana Caputova, the Anti-corruption candidate has won Slovakia’s presidential election and became the first female president of Slovakia. Zuzana defeated the high-profile diplomat Maros Sefcovic who was nominated by the governing party, without any political experiences.

Zuzana framed the election as a struggle between good and evil. She gained 58.3 percent of the votes after results from 98.1 percent of voting districts were counted, ahead of European commissioner Maros Sefcovic who took 41.7 percent.

During the vote counting, Zuzana came as the frontrunner for the presidential post. The official results were declared on Sunday by Slovakia’s election commission.

She first achieved renown by prevailing in a decade-long struggle against the situating of a toxic landfill in her hometown of Pezinok. For this she was awarded a 2016 Goldman Environmental Prize. In December 2017, she announced her entry into the emerging political party Progressive Slovakia, and in January 2018, she was elected as a Vice-Chairwoman at the party’s first congress, aiding Ivan Stefunko’s efforts to assure the representation of a credible socially-liberal alternative to the conservative status quo in Slovakia.

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