The pardon scandal has shaken Zoltán Balog’s position within the Reformed Church, but in recent weeks he has managed to consolidate his power. According to a Direkt36 investigation, the bishop has succeeded in making people believe that the whole church is under attack and has assured everyone that PM Viktor Orbán entrusted him to handle the matter.

The government initially hoped that they could get away with it, but when they saw the internal polls, they knew they had to act. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán personally directed the reponse that led to the forced resignation of Hungary’s president and a former minister. Direkt36 has uncovered new details about the what happened behind the scenes in the government during the pardon scandal.

Direkt36 and Telex have learned from several independent sources that head of the Hungarian Reformed Church Zoltán Balog, who has long been a confidant of Hungarian president Katalin Novák, played a crucial role in the presidential pardon which led to Novák’s resignation.