Orban, known for his so-called illiberal democracy, is seen as one of Putin's greatest allies in Europe.
download
But the resignations of Novak and Varga have divided Orban's supporters and led some to believe they were being sacrificed to protect the prime minister from the political fallout of the scandal, said Daniel Hegedus, an analyst and Central Europe fellow at the German Marshall Fund.
Hegedus said the resignations “go against the logic of how loyalty to Orbán's regime has been built so far.”
“It divides Fidesz's core voters over whether these two politicians should really be sacrificed.”
Novak, a former Fidesz vice-president, served as Family Minister until her appointment to the presidency in 2022. She has been outspoken in defending the traditional family and child protection, a cornerstone of Fidesz's image as a defender of Christianity. Conservative values.
Politicians and think tanks in Hungary have hosted center-right politicians in the United States and Australia, and made diplomatic visits to Papua New Guinea, which Novak visited in October. But Novak's presidential pardon damaged her party's reputation and threatened to alienate parts of the conservative voter base.
Then-Hungarian President Katalin Novak with Pope Francis in April 2023.credit: AP
“I think they saw clearly in their internal polls that the situation has become dangerous, and that critical electoral groups reject the behavior of the former president,” Hegedus said of Fidesz.
Some of Orban's biggest rivals are pushing for more consequences.
The Democratic Coalition, the largest opposition party, called for direct presidential elections instead of the appointment of Novak's successor by the Fidesz majority in parliament.
download
In a Facebook post, Ferenc Gyurcsany, leader of the Democratic Coalition and prime minister from 2004 to 2009, vowed that the stepping down of two of Orban's closest allies would not be enough to put an end to the controversy.
“The resignation of Novak and Varga did not end the case, but rather opened it,” he wrote.
But the leader of the Fidesz parliamentary bloc, Matti Kocsis, rejected the idea of direct elections.
“It is unbelievable that when the left is in power, they elect the president, and when we are in power, the people elect the president,” Kocsis said.
AP
Get a direct note from our foreigners Reporters About what's making headlines around the world. Subscribe to the weekly What in the World newsletter here.
