Orbán: No pardon for child abusers

Hungary’s next head of state must restore the national unity that ruptured when it came to light that the previous president, Katalin Novák, granted a pardon to the deputy head of a children’s home convicted of covering up child abuse, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in an interview to public radio on Friday.

Orbán said Novák had said “yes” to the pardon when the only fitting response could have been “no”.

Most people in the country broadly felt this way, especially on the right, he said, adding that “family values and protecting children are at the heart of our political creed”.

The prime minister said the pardon had brought what happened in the Bicske orphanage to the surface, “something that simply should not happen in a decent country like Hungary”.

“All this is simply unacceptable,” he said, adding that when child abusers were convicted, then at the very least there would be “no pardon and no mercy”.

On Facebook, Orbán shared in a post that he had ordered an investigation which will cover the heads of all child protection services. “People who are a danger to children must not work near them!” he said.

He said all institutions working with children would have to be inspected to determine whether their leaders had passed an aptitude test and whether they meet all the requirements to be there. These screenings, Orbán added, must also extend to the officials’ lifestyles, “sexual deviance” and psychological fitness.

“People who pose a threat to children can’t be allowed to work in schools, kindergartens or children’s homes,” he said.

Orbán said it was “impossible” for a case like the one concerning the director of the Bicske orphanage who had been convicted of child abuse to happen and not be followed by a public outcry but rather a cover-up.

He said the government will bring order to this area, vowing to personally monitor the process and bring it to an end by “making the right decisions”.

Orbán: Sulyok’s nomination for president down to his experience, standing

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has said the ruling parties chose to nominate Tamás Sulyok, the current head of the Constitutional Court, for head of state based on his experience in constitutional and legal matters as well as his knowledge of the international stage and political institutions.

It was these qualities and his profession standing that made Sulyok stand out as the most qualified candidate for the job, Orbán said in an interview with public radio on Friday. He said the nomination was preceded by long consultations and negotiations, also within Fidesz’s leadership.

Orbán said Hungary was a strong country, even though “there’s trouble now because the previous president resigned”.

“Our heart still bleeds”, especially because the resignation happened over a matter in which there had been a sharp contrast between public opinion and the president’s decision, he added.

But the cloud’s silver lining was that when examining potential candidates, the ruling parties found many Hungarians who were qualified to hold the office of president, “which strengthens one’s faith in one’s own country”.

Orbán urges ceasefire, peace process in Russia-Ukraine conflict

Given that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine cannot be settled on the battlefield or through military means, a peace process is needed to end the conflict and bring about a liveable Europe for the long term, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in an interview on Friday.

Noting the second anniversary of the start of the war, Orbán told public radio that the conflict was “a very difficult issue”. Russia attacked Ukraine, “which raises a number of ethical and moral questions, but war is fundamentally a matter of realpolitik,” the prime minister said.

“The realities [of the conflict] were obvious from the very first moment,” Orbán said, adding that this was why Hungary had maintained its position. The West cannot thrust itself into a war which, “based on mathematical and realistic facts”, cannot be resolved on the battlefield, he said.

The aim should be to secure a ceasefire and peace, because Russia cannot be brought to its knees by military force, Orbán said. “We Hungarians don’t agree with the British, French and German points of view which want to force a military solution,” he said. “We need peace in our neighbouring country; this is an existential, vital humane matter”.

Orbán: ‘Panic’ in Brussels as ‘the gate closes’

As the current term of the European Parliament ends in June, Brussels is enveloped in “panic” and “entering a final round” to push through decisions related to “LGBTQ, migration and war”, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in an interview to public radio on Friday.