Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban ignored the European Union’s prevailing sentiment on Monday, October 28 as he made a surprise visit to Georgia, two days after the ruling Georgian Dream party declared victory in an election that the opposition claims was rigged.

Georgian Dream – which has the backing of Georgia’s richest man, the billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili – won the election with almost 54% of the vote, according to Georgia's electoral commission.

The opposition has disputed the outcome, with tens of thousands of Georgians taking to the streets in protest on October 28, following a call from President Salome Zourabichvili.

The president condemned the election results as a "Russian special operation", accusing the ruling party on October 27 of using Russian-style tactics and propaganda. 

The Kremlin denied any involvement in the election, stating it was the West, not Russia, attempting to destabilise the 3.6mn country between the Caucasus and the Black Sea.

The election was widely viewed as a choice between the current government’s ties with Russia and the opposition’s pro-European stance. Georgia is an EU candidate country although following Georgian Dream’s recent clampdown on democratic freedoms and the party’s tilt towards Russia, the accession process has been all but frozen.

“Georgia is a conservative, Christian and pro-Europe state. Instead of useless lecturing, they need our support on their European path,” Orban said on X on October 28.

He is due to hold meetings with his Georgian counterpart Irakli Kobakhidze on October 29. The delegation also included Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjártó, the Minister of Economic Development Marton Nadi and Minister of Finance Mihai Varga. 

The Hungarian PM, who currently serves as the European Council's rotating president, has long been opposed to the EU’s mainstream and maintained close ties with Russia, despite the latter’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. 

In July, Orban sparked controversy by travelling to Moscow and Beijing on what the Hungarian government described as a "peace mission" during Hungary's EU presidency, without consulting EU allies.

The EU, US and Nato have all called for a thorough investigation into the alleged voting irregularities in Georgia. 

Georgian Dream and the country’s electoral commission maintain the vote was conducted fairly. Szijjarto, who accompanied Orban to Tbilisi, said on social media that the Georgian election outcome was an “ugly defeat” for liberals.