Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban flew to Tbilisi on Monday to congratulate the Russian-aligned ruling Georgian Dream party, as tens of thousands of people took to the streets to protest what the opposition called unfair elections during the end of week.

In a report released Sunday, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe also cited a widespread campaign of voter intimidation. On Tuesday, the government announced a partial recount of votes.

With Hungary holding the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, the governments of some member states were concerned that Orban’s visit could be perceived as the EU’s official stance at a time when President Salomé Zourabichvili has called on international allies “to protect Georgia by standing with the people, not an illegitimate government,” as he wrote on Twitter on Monday.

EU officials have called for an investigation into reports of irregularities in Saturday’s election, and several member states have formally distanced themselves from Orban’s visit.

“Authoritarian, undemocratic and pro-Russian”

On his visit, Orban made common cause with GD, which has hinted that joining the European Union would require Georgia to enter the war between Russia and Ukraine.

“One thing is clear in this weekend’s elections: the people of Georgia voted for peace and prosperity in a free and democratic election,” Orban wrote on X on Tuesday.

In GD and its leaders, Orban can also see defenders of national conservatism in greater Europe.

“Viktor Orban is clear that he wants more authoritarian, anti-democratic and pro-Russian actors in the European political sphere,” said Julien Hoez, editor of The French Dispatch and geopolitical consultant.

Teona Lavrelashvili, a specialist in EU affairs as a visiting researcher at the Wiilfried Martens Center for European Studies, told DW that Orban’s visit to Georgia is a direct challenge to the EU’s foreign policy and also sends contradictory signals, just as than his visit to Moscow. at the beginning of the Hungarian presidency of the Council in July.

“Although Orban does not officially represent the EU, his support for the elections risks legitimizing the process, which the Georgian ruling party will likely use to resist calls for new elections or an independent investigation,” Lavrelashvili said. “They can cite Hungary, an EU member state, as supporting the elections.”

The EU position

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for a swift, transparent and independent investigation into the irregularities and said the people of Georgia had the “right to know what happened.” But it remains unclear how the European Union could force a non-member’s government to investigate election irregularities, as well as whether officials would launch an investigation that could ultimately incriminate themselves.

Hoez said he believed the European Union could draft a unified condemnation at an upcoming meeting. “There is an informal council on November 8 in Budapest that may lead to something, and a foreign affairs council on November 18, which will probably build on it,” Hoez said. “The EU can launch targeted sanctions against actors related to this.” “Atrocious electoral fraud.”

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EU officials may choose to wait for a response from the Georgian government and final recommendations from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

“At this stage, this cautious approach does not necessarily imply that the EU does not recognize the election result, but reflects the need for further clarification on the reported irregularities,” Lavrelashvili said.

“The EU is waiting for two key indicators: first, the final recommendations of the OSCE electoral mission, and second, the response of the ruling party, specifically, whether it will recognize and act on the EU’s calls,” he said. “At this stage, the EU is more likely to apply diplomatic pressure than impose sanctions.”

Edited by: M. Gagnon