Hungarian opposition holds rally demanding direct presidential elections

Four Hungarian opposition parties held a rally in front of the parliament building in Budapest, demanding direct presidential elections, the FrissHirek portal said, Report informs via RBC.

The rally was attended by the opposition parties Dialogue for Hungary, Momentum Movement, Democratic Coalition and Hungarian Socialist Party. They called for the creation of a parliamentary commission of inquiry in connection with the case of pardoning a convict who was found guilty of helping a known pedophile from an orphanage sexually abuse children. Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony is also among the protesters.

According to the organizers of the rally, Prime Minister Viktor Orban should not be allowed to make decisions regarding power again and “get a president who will pardon a pedophile criminal.”

The protests began in February after former Hungarian President Katalin Novak pardoned a convicted man accused of helping an orphanage pedophile commit child sexual abuse. As a result, Novak, an ally of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, voluntarily left her post after the scandal erupted - she signed a pardon decree.

Following her, the leader of the list in the elections to the European Parliament, Judit Varga, and the pastor, chairman of the synod of the Hungarian Reformed Church, Balogh Zoltan, left. He admitted that he convinced Novak to pardon the culprit.

Demonstrators believe that the ruling Fidesz party, which stands for traditional values and the protection of children, is acting hypocritically when it justifies pedophiles or people associated with them.

In Hungary, the president is elected by parliament. Thus, 137 out of 199 members of parliament voted for Novak in 2022, and 51 voted for her opponent, economist Peter Rohn.