Hungary’s Prime Minister, Viktor Orban has landed in Georgia after congratulating the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party for its victory in parliamentary elections despite widespread concerns about intimidation and coercion of voters.
Orban issued his congratulations to the GD for “their overwhelming victory” before the election results had even been published.
He is leading a delegation of his senior ministers to meet Georgia’s Prime Minister, Irakli Kobakhidze, in a two-day visit that is likely to anger fellow EU leaders at a time when Hungary holds the rotating EU presidency.
Orban’s Spokesperson said that he had been invited by Kobakhidze and would be accompanied by Hungary’s Foreign Minister, Péter Szijjártó, Economy Minister, Márton Nagy and Finance Minister, Mihály Varga.
The governments of Hungary and Georgia have drawn closer in recent years, with both focusing their policies on conservative “Christian” values and calling for “peace” in Ukraine while avoiding any condemnation of Russia.
Speaking to a news agency early today, EU top diplomat, Josep Borrell noted that Orban “does not represent the European Union” on his visit, adding that the union’s rotating president has no authority in foreign policy.
The Hungarian leader arrived in Tbilisi as the opposition is set to hold a protest rally this evening over the election results, which dealt a blow to Georgia’s EU membership hopes.
In a statement co-signed with the European Commission, Borrell flagged concerns about reported pressure and intimidation of voters during the elections in Georgia.
“We call on the central election commission of Georgia and other relevant authorities to fulfil their duty to swiftly, transparently and independently investigate and adjudicate electoral irregularities and allegations thereof.”
Josep Borrell
A team from the European parliament sent to observe the elections said that it found one case of ballot box stuffing, as well as “physical assault on observers attempting to report on violations, observer and media removal from polling stations, tearing up of observer complaints, intimidation of voters inside and outside of polling stations, presence of multiple party-affiliated observers posing as citizen observers.”
Spanish centre-right MEP Antonio López-Istúriz White, who led the delegation, also said there had been efforts “to undermine and manipulate the vote”, such as pressure on state employees to take part in campaign events and vote, as well as misuse of state resources to benefit the ruling party. “We express deep concern about the democratic backsliding in Georgia,” he said.
Dutch MEP, Thijs Reuten, who was not part of the delegation, called on the EU’s 26 other member states and the commission to push back against the Hungarian leader. “Orbán legitimising these elections undermines the EU itself,” he wrote on X.
However, western leaders have stopped short of saying the elections were stolen or falsified, instead urging GD to address the delegation’s findings.
Georgia’s President Labels Country As Victim To Russian Operation
Georgia’s pro-EU President, Salome Zourabichvili said that she does not recognise the results and that her country had fallen victim to a “Russian special operation.”
Zourabichvili said that GD had won only 40% of the vote, a figure broadly in line with two exit polls that showed the opposition winning a majority of seats in parliament.
The country’s election commission announced on Sunday that GD had won 54% of the vote, a result securing its increasingly authoritarian hold on power for another four years.
Zourabichvili accused the ruling party of resorting to Russian-style tactics and propaganda and called for Georgians to take to the streets this evening.
However, the Kremlin denied any Russian interference in the vote, saying it was the West, not Moscow, that was trying to destabilise the situation.
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