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Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban attends a European Union summit in Brussels, Belgium February 1, 2024.
Don’t look now, but one of Europe’s biggest defenders of family values is embroiled in a scandal over the sexual abuse of children. In recent days, Hungary’s proudly “illiberal” Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has seen his president and justice minister – both women – resign over the pardon of an orphanage director accused of covering up sexual abuse claims.
The justice minister’s husband has since accused Orbán of “hiding behind skirts” and blasted the government for corruption. Orban’s allies say this is just the yelping of “amoral lying bastards.” Spicy!
It’s not the first time that Orbán, who opposes LGBTQ rights, has run into the buzzsaw of hypocrisy. Remember when Brussels police caught one of his closest allies shimmying down a drainpipe to escape a gay orgy with drugs in his backpack?
Experts doubt the scandal itself will hurt Orbán, whose Fidesz Party won its fourth consecutive election back in 2022. Orbán’s grip on the media, coupled with the opposition’s weakness, will shield him, says Anna-Carina Hamker at Eurasia Group.
But the corruption accusations could prove more of a headache, she says, particularly if “they incite others to step up and speak out.”