Orbán address Hungary in first appearance since president quit in a scandal

18/2/2024 7:11

        Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban sought to contain the political fallout of a presidential pardon scandal during an annual state of the nation address on Saturday, his first public appearance since Hungary's president, his ally, resigned a week ago.
        
        The nationalist Orban is under intense pressure from multiple angles as his obstructionist conduct on the international stage has spurred growing frustration among his European Union and NATO allies.
        
        Meanwhile, widespread public outrage has gripped Hungary over a pardon the president issued to a convict in a child sexual abuse case.
        
        In his speech, which marked the 25th anniversary of his first address to the nation during his freshman term as prime minister in 1999, Orban immediately addressed the resignation last week of President Katalin Novak. He said that 2024 "could not have begun any worse" and that her resignation was a "nightmare" for the country.