Georgia: Hungary's Orban arrives as mass protests begin

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban arrived in Georgia on Monday as political turmoil escalates following a disputed election that was marred by violence and accusations of vote rigging and intimidation.

Orban arrived in the capital Tbilisi two days after the ruling Georgian Dream party declared that it had won the country's national election with almost 54% of the vote. The country's Central Election Commission confirmed the result. International observers, however — including the OSCE — cited numerous flaws.

Opposition parties vehemently dispute the results, with President Salome Zourabichvili vowing not to recognize the tally and insisting that it had been a "Russian special operation." In turn, Orban congratulated Georgian Dream hours before official results were published on Sunday, praising their "overwhelming victory."

Protesters boo Orban in Tbilisi

Mass demonstrations are currently underway in the capital and online video appeared to show Orban being boisterously booed as he exited his hotel early Monday evening.

The weekend vote was seen as one that could determine whether Georgia would halt its democratic backsliding and return to the path of EU integration, or drift into authoritarianism within Russia's sphere of influence.

The result of the vote was a shock to Europe as Georgian voters appeared to shy away from pro-EU parties that the nationalist Georgian Dream claimed would drag Georgia into confrontation with Russia.

The Kremlin on Monday denied accusations of interference, insisting the West was attempting to destabilize the country.

Russia invaded Georgia — formerly part of the Soviet Union — in 2008 and continues to control some 20% of the nation's territory. The founder and head of Georgian Dream, Bidzina Ivanishvili, a shadowy billionaire who made his fortune in Russia, is perceived as Kremlin-friendly despite officially pledging to take Georgia to the EU.

EU's Borrell: 'Orban does not represent the European Union'

Orban, who currently holds the EU's rotating presidency and last week compared the Brussels to invading Soviet soldiers, took to social media platform X on Monday to write: "Georgia is a conservative, Christian and pro-Europe state. Instead of useless lecturing, they need our support on their European path."

Orban is often at loggerheads with EU and NATO partners for his own authoritarian tendencies as well as his overtures toward Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Hungarian leader did not coordinate his Tbilisi visit with Brussels, prompting the EU's top diplomat Josep Borrell to state, "Whatever Mr. Orban may say during his visit, he does not represent the European Union."

Orban caused similar irritation in July by embarking on his own "peace mission" to Moscow and Beijing after taking over the six-month rotating presidency but without consulting EU partners beforehand.

The US, EU and NATO have all demanded a full investigation into reported voting irregularities during the weekend vote.

js/dj (AFP, Reuters)