A political earthquake is shaking Budapest tonight. Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has turned on his own ally, President Katalin Novák, threatening to oust her amid a deepening scandal over a presidential pardon. The move has drawn sharp rebuke from London, where Foreign Secretary David Cameron urged the Hungarian government to uphold democratic norms.
Novák, a conservative lawyer and former family minister, was handpicked by Orbán as a figurehead president in 2022. But her decision to pardon a convicted child abuser last year has ignited fury across Hungary, with tens of thousands rallying in the streets. Critics accuse her of trampling on victims' rights and treating the presidency as a personal fiefdom.
Orbán, usually unflappable, now faces a dilemma. His Fidesz party controls parliament and could easily remove Novák, but doing so risks exposing the authoritarian drift that has alienated Brussels and Washington. UK officials have expressed alarm, with Downing Street calling for 'transparent processes that respect the rule of law'.
For Hungarians, the crisis is a reminder of the fragility of their young democracy. Since 2010, Orbán has systematically centralised power, muzzling the media and stacking the courts with loyalists. Novák's ouster would be a stunning fall for a president once seen as Orbán's most reliable enforcer.
But it may also be a chance for Hungary to reset its image. The UK, struggling to rebuild post-Brexit ties with Europe, has been unusually vocal. 'We cannot turn a blind eye,' said a Foreign Office source. 'Democracy is not just about elections, but about checks and balances.'
As Budapest braces for a parliamentary showdown, the world watches. Will Orbán sacrifice Novák to save his own skin, or will he dig in and defy Western criticism? Either way, the kitchen tables of Hungary are talking about more than just the price of bread tonight.
