Orban's unofficial visit: Georgia's political crossroads
The planned visit of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to Tbilisi on Monday and Tuesday aims to exert a psychological impact on Georgian society, stated Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili. In her opinion, Orban does not represent the European Union and comes only as a friend of the ruling party.
President Zurabishvili, quoted by Echo of the Caucasus (a branch of Radio Free Europe), expressed her belief that the Hungarian Prime Minister "does not have a mandate from the European Union." If he comes, it will only be as a friend of the current ruling majority and a new attempt to make a psychological impression on society. But we are resistant to that, she emphasised.
Regarding Saturday's parliamentary elections, Zurabishvili stated that they had been "stolen." She added that the Georgian people will confirm this in the streets, referring to the planned protests against the results presented by the Central Election Commission.
Viktor Orban's visit to Tbilisi is scheduled to begin Monday evening. On Tuesday, official meetings with Georgian authorities are planned, after which the prime ministers of both countries will make statements to the media.
On Saturday, even before the official election results were announced, Orban was the first to congratulate the ruling pro-Russian party Georgian Dream on their victory. Meanwhile, the opposition and the president do not recognise the results reported by the election commission, and international observers report numerous irregularities during voting.
The NewsGeorgia service notes that Georgian Dream considers Viktor Orban one of its main allies in Europe. According to the portal, the Hungarian Prime Minister will travel to Tbilisi to "personally congratulate" the group.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell stated on Monday that during his visit to Georgia, Viktor Orban does not represent the European Union. Hungary holds the presidency of the EU Council, but Prime Minister Orban does not have competencies in foreign policy on behalf of the Community, Borrell noted.
Election in Georgia
The pro-Russian party Georgian Dream won 53.92% of the votes in the parliamentary elections.
Zurabishvili did not recognise this result, similarly to, among others, the imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili. Both have called on their compatriots to protest.
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski stated that "it seems that the elections were not fully democratic". Let international observers speak, but I am very concerned about this situation because these elections were perhaps a crucial day of choice regarding Georgia's orientation, he declared.
