Hungary’s president Schmitt Pál resigned from his post yesterday, contradicting earlier statements that he would stay on despite a growing scandal over his plagiarized doctoral thesis. It’s unclear what finally tipped the balance, as Schmitt seemed convinced by his own argument that resigning would bring disgrace upon the office of the president. There’s been no indication about who the frontrunner to replace him would be, although potential candidates include Parliamentary president László Kövér, and a former foreign minister János Mártonyi. Schmitt’s success will be nominated by the prime minister Viktor Orban in mid-April.
