Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who is visiting Georgia, said in Tbilisi that the country's parliamentary elections won by the ruling party "Georgian Dream" were free and democratic, reported Reuters.
Orban, who arrived yesterday in the Georgian capital, congratulated his Georgian colleague Irakli Kobakhidze and emphasized that he "appreciates his efforts for peace in Ukraine". In addition, the Hungarian Prime Minister pointed out that the Georgian people have made a "pro-European choice". Orbán added that he had read the opinion of the Hungarian election observers in Georgia, who stated that the vote was free and democratic.
Thousands of demonstrators gathered again outside the parliament building in Tbilisi after reports of election irregularities emerged. The ruling party, as well as Georgia's election commission, said the vote was free and fair. Western powers called for an investigation into the election process.
"I read the evaluations of the international organizations and I see that no one dares to doubt that these elections were fair and democratic," Orbán said at a press conference. "With all the criticism, nobody dared to go that far,", he added.
On Sunday, election observers, including the 57-nation Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), reported a number of violations. Observers said alleged violations, including ballot tampering, bribery, voter intimidation and violence near polling stations, could have affected the result, but stopped short of calling the vote rigged, Reuters noted.
Hungary, which holds the EU's rotating presidency, has angered its EU and NATO counterparts by being determined to maintain close ties with Russia despite an invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
"We criticize Prime Minister Orban's hasty visit to Georgia," 13 ministers of foreign affairs of EU member states said in a joint communiqué yesterday. "He does not speak on behalf of the EU,", they stressed.
Orbán also caused controversy in July when, at the beginning of the Hungarian EU presidency, he went to the so-called "mission for peace" in Moscow and Beijing, without coordinating these actions with its EU partners.
"Georgian Dream" It has drawn criticism from Brussels and Washington for some of its policies and established warm relations with Russia, but the party nevertheless says it fully supports Tbilisi's bid to join the EU, Reuters notes.
Orban said he supported Georgia on its path to joining the EU, adding that the result of the vote showed a "pro-European choice".
"Hungary is an ardent supporter of Georgia on the path to European integration and played a special role in the country's acquisition of the status of a candidate for EU membership," Kobakhidze said. "For that, I would like to personally thank Viktor Orban", he added.
Georgia was granted candidate status for membership in December last year, but the EU has repeatedly said its application is frozen because of Brussels' authoritarian slant on the ``Georgian dream,'' notes Reuters.