Hungary’s Orban supports Georgia’s election despite fraud

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Tuesday expressed his support for Georgia’s ruling party after disputed parliamentary elections that drew protests and international criticism.

Despite claims of widespread fraud and violence, Orban, a close associate of the Russian president Vladimir Putindismissed concerns about the legitimacy of the election results, which opposition leaders denounced as rigged.

Orbán became the first foreign leader to visit Georgia after that Saturday electionsin which the ruling Georgian Dream party won.

Were the elections “stolen”?

The visit comes amid mounting accusations from opposition leaders and Georgia’s president that the election was “stolen” with the help of Russia.

The accusations prompted calls from European Union and the United States for a full investigation.

Orbán took a different tone after meeting with Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, congratulating him on his election victory.

“I look at the debates that took place around the elections, I read the assessments of international organizations and I see that no one dares to question the fact that these elections were a free and democratic choice,” Orbán said.

The Hungarian leader’s remarks came amid protests outside Georgia’s parliament on Monday evening, where demonstrators demanded a new vote under the watch of international observers.

President Salome Zurabishvili, who performs a mainly ceremonial role, is an ardent critic of “Georgian Dream”. and rejected the election results and warned about Russian influence.

Zurabishvili claimed that Russian propaganda was heavily used in the campaign and suggested that voter ID cards were confiscated from prisoners and welfare recipients and used for multiple voting.

Critics accuse the Georgian Dream party of steering the country towards Moscow and destroying democratic freedoms.

Orbán faced vociferous opposition after arriving at his hotel in Tbilisi, with protesters calling him a “political whore” and “puppet” in Russian and Hungarian.

Will Georgia join the European Union?

The country’s desire to join the EU and NATO enshrined in its constitution.

The ruling Georgian Dream party, founded by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, campaigned on the promise of joining the EU while maintaining “dignity.”

However, after the “foreign influence law” passed in June, which critics say undermines press freedom, Brussels suspended Georgia’s bid for membership.

Kobakhidze, citing the party’s shared “Christian values” with Hungary, suggested common ground between the two nations’ conservative politics.

Orbán echoed that sentiment, saying both the ruling party and the opposition are committed to European integration, despite accusations that Georgian Dream opposes it.

He also praised Georgia for avoiding what he called a “second Ukraine,” urging the government to ignore criticism of the election.

International reaction

Civil society groups have accused the ruling party of voter intimidation and fraud, but proving these claims remains a challenge in the Georgian Dream-dominated government.

The Central Election Commission (CEC) said it had received requests from opposition parties for voter lists but refused to provide them, citing privacy concerns.

“Accepting the election results would mean that Georgia is lost to its people and lost to Europe for the foreseeable future,” said Zaza Bibilashvili, founder of the Chavchavadze Center civil society organization. “The stakes,” he added, “are very high.”

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell called on Georgian authorities to conduct a “transparent investigation” of the election, stressing the country’s ongoing “democratic rollback”.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller criticized the election environment, citing “abuse of public resources, vote-buying and voter intimidation” by the ruling party.

Miller urged Georgian officials to review their policies in light of their relationship with the Euro-Atlantic community, warning of potential “further consequences” if the anti-democratic actions continued.

This article incorporates reporting from The Associated Press