Hungarian president quits over plagiarism

Mr Schmitt said the controversy was dividing his country (EPA)

A plagiarism scandal has led to the resignation of Hungary's President, Pal Schmitt, over a doctoral dissertation he wrote 20 years ago.

Mr Schmitt, 69, who was elected to the largely ceremonial role in 2010 for a five-year term, said in a speech to parliament that he was stepping down because the controversy was dividing his country.

His 1992 doctorate was revoked last week after a university committee found that most of his thesis about the modern Olympic Games had been copied from the work of two other authors.

It was a topic close to Mr Schmitt's heart, as he won gold medals for fencing at the Olympics in both 1968 and 1972.

AP