Hungarian President resigns after plagiarism scandal

[malaise]

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/latest/article.php?id=36329
<snip>
Hungarian President Pal Schmitt resigned on Monday because of a plagiarism scandal regarding a doctoral dissertation he had written 20 years ago.

Schmitt, who was elected to his largely ceremonial office in 2010 for a five-year term, said in a speech to Parliament's plenary session that he is stepping down because the controversy is dividing Hungary.

Schmitt, 69, then quickly left the chamber accompanied by Prime Minister Viktor Orban as lawmakers from the governing parties — Orban's Fidesz and the Christian Democrats — gave him a standing ovation.

The resignation comes at a turbulent time in Hungarian politics.

Last week, Schmitt's 1992 doctorate was revoked after a university committee, following up on a report published in January by the Internet publication HVG.hu, found that most of his thesis about the modern Olympic Games had been copied from the work of two other authors.

[muriel_volestrangler]

1. He is, of course, a right winger - nominee of Fidesz, and former MEP for Fidesz

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C3%A1l_Schmitt

Fidesz is currently rewriting the Hungarian constitution and laws to give themselves and their nominees power even if they get voted out at an election. It's like the power grabs of Republicans in Michigan, Wisconsin etc.

[malaise]

2. Wow

Thanks for that

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. If you want more background on Hungary and Fidesz, Paul Krugman is good

He has a colleague who writes detailed posts about it, and he puts them on his NYT blog.

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/14/hungarys-free-media/
http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/21/hungary-misunderstood/
http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/12/somewhere-in-europe/
http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/02/the-unconstitutional-constitution/
http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/20/more-hungary/

[malaise]

4. Thanks muriel_volestrangler

[Liberal_in_LA]

5. amazing.