Constitutional amendment proposes a lifeline for president Novák Katalin via Orbán Viktor
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The recent surge of outrage in Hungarian public life stems from the revelation that President Novák Katalin granted clemency to a citizen who had been legally convicted of coercing minors. The man in question had worked at a juvenile correctional facility where the institution’s director had subjected underage boys to years of sexual abuse. When this came to light, the man who is now receiving clemency coerced the victims into retracting their testimonies.
For the ruling FIDESZ party, this pardon arrives at an inopportune moment, as combating pedophilia remains a key political objective. Meanwhile, minority parliamentary parties have condemned Novák Katalin for signing the pardon and have even proposed her removal from the presidential office.
In the Hungarian legal system, the parliament’s recommendation allows the Constitutional Court to potentially strip the president of her position, although such a process would require an investigation. Therefore, it is unlikely that Novák Katalin will lose her presidential mandate through this avenue.
Orbán Viktor’s proposed constitutional amendment would explicitly exclude the possibility of granting presidential clemency to perpetrators of crimes against minors.