Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s recent visit to Tbilisi on October 28th has stirred controversy and underlined sharp divides within the European Union.
The timing of these protests suggests a deliberate attempt to undermine the Georgian election results, as Zourabishvili is often described in Georgia as being aligned with foreign interests, on the payroll, which cast doubts on the legitimacy of her concerns and her true colors.
Western media highlighted Orban being “booed by the people” but neglected to note the partisan nature of these protestors, perhaps crisis actors, many observers and political pundits speculate to be organized, or even financially compensated, to “enhance” an impression of a broad-based grassroots opposition.
Orban’s hotel, the Marriott, is a mere stone’s throw from the parliamentary grounds on Rustaveli Avenue, where protestors had gathered, following the President’s incendiary remarks alleging election fraud and the death of democracy.
Despite the uproar, Orban’s decision to quickly and unconditionally recognize the Georgian election results stands in stark contrast to the prevailing EU stance, with Hungary’s leader offering a heartfelt congratulation to Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze.
Far Cry from the Truth
Listening to the foreign and opposition media, and following foreign funded NGO sites, you could be forgiven for thinking that all of Europe was united in its condemnation, but this is a far cry from the truth. The principled stand made by Viktor Orban, Prime Minister of Hungary, who was the first world leader to congratulate the Georgian Prime Minister, Irakli Kobakhidze, on his party’s election win is most revealing.
The flood of recrimination in the wake of the much touted “game changing” Georgian elections held on 26th October, where the governing Georgian Dream party was returned to power with the majority of 54% of the popular vote. The claimed “United” opposition lagging behind with 37%, with a difference of spread across a number of parties not meeting the minimum threshold of 5%. Hence as was widely expected, predicated, a chorus of condemnation from the West, and especially the EU.
The claims range from an “uneven playing field” through to widespread “voter intimidation, outright vote buying” and just old fashion, no holds barred, election rigging. Of course, the usual unsubstantial and “wild claims” of “Russian interference”, AKA, to be blunt, is just a “Catch-all” phrase to describe any result (the globalists in the EU don’t like) and “stealing of the elections”.
Key is Election Integrity, Free and Fair Elections
Orban met with PM Kobakhidze on the 29th, and made several insightful statements in support of both the Georgian Dream election win, and the choice of the majority of Georgian voters, and with special emphasis on election integrity.
“I read the assessment of international organisations and I see that nobody dares question that this election was a fair and democratic election,” Orbán said on Tuesday, speaking next to his Georgian counterpart, Irakli Kobakhidze. “Alongside all the criticism, nobody dared go that far.”
Orban also noted that both Georgia and Hungary have had enough experience of war, and went on to say:
“While you are pursuing a pro-European policy, you have not allowed your country to become a second Ukraine,”
Orban also urged Kobakhidze to ignore any criticism about the election. He addressed the Georgians and said that they shouldn’t take the debates in the EU seriously because this is exactly what happens – when conservatives win, according to him, there are always such debates. He claimed that according to the EU handbook – if the liberals win, then the elections are democratic, and if the conservatives win, then they are not.
Needless to say, Orban’s visit in general, and his support of the election process and result in particular, drew immediate outrage from the usual suspects in Brussels and in many EU member capitals.
Borell, the EU High Representative on Foreign relations, angrily announced:
“Whatever Mr Orban says in his visit to Georgia, he does not represent the European Union,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told Spanish public radio RNE. “The union’s rotating president has no authority in foreign policy.”
Which is an amusing piece of hypocrisy, as the Georgian constitution forbids the president from taking part in foreign policy, but Borell and his ilk praise her for doing so.
Meanwhile, Ursula von der Leyen blamed Russia, her go-to bogeyman for any political result she opposes, saying:
“There is not a single reason why Putin should have a say in the future of young Ukrainians or Moldovans or Georgians,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday “For so many years now, the people of Georgia have been striving and fighting for democracy. They have a right to know what happened this weekend,” she went on. “Georgians, like all Europeans, must be masters of their own destiny.”
A statement that ignores the fact that that is EXACTLY what Georgians have done, they have chosen peace over war, and better relations with their neighbor and major trading partner, they have also rejected so-called “European Values” such as transgender and LGBTQ ideology which conflict with their ancient cultural values and faith. Her statement is also a measure of European hypocrisy, as we can clearly see how she and other EU potentates feel they can dictate to the Georgian people the direction of their country.
I think that the EU does not understand Georgians as well as they imagine.
It should also be noted that only thirteen of the EU’s twenty-seven members signed a statement condemning the elections and expressing “solidarity” with the opposition, which means that fourteen did not.
It should also be noted that recognition and support for the results has been received from a number of other countries, including Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia, as well as an impassioned statement by Nicholas Maduro, the recently reelected President of Venezuela, who has suffered the same treatment at the hands of the US and EU, saying:
“Over the years, progressive leftist and nationalist currents emerged and came to power. Last Sunday, they won an exemplary, stellar victory with 56% of the vote of the people of Georgia. What is the United States saying? ‘We do not recognize the results of the elections, we ask for a review of the results, we ask for a repeat of the elections in Georgia.’ Do you believe that the people of the world want to be treated like slaves, like a colony?”
The fact that Georgia’s neighbors have recognized, and support, the results of the elections, along with support from principled leaders like Orban and Maduro, and the congratulations of China, destroys the EU and US ability to claim “Everyone understands the elections were stolen” and, we can only hope, makes it far harder for the US and EU to foment a Maidan style coup in the region, or even worse, direct intervention, but the concern is, that in their desperation to distract from the ever-increasing debacle in Ukraine, like addicted gamblers, the EU and US will roll the dice anyway.
In the final analysis, Orban’s visit to Georgia appears to be more than a gesture of support for the ruling party’s election campaign; it’s an overt statement on the EU’s structure. Moreover, it highlights that the EU doesn’t need a single, uniform voice. Member states shouldn’t be expected to align with every centralized policy, as the EU’s strength lies in its diversity and the unique values of its nations. Prioritizing the views and needs of individual countries over strict unity respects this diversity, suggesting that not all paths should lead to Brussels, just as in the past, they didn’t all lead to Rome.
The Hungarian PM’s visit to Georgia could stir significant backlash against the establishment, especially among the EU’s backbenchers—those member states that have felt sidelined or excluded from core decision-making processes. Many of these countries are growing increasingly discontent with what they see as a concentration of power in a handful of elite nations that often assume they speak on behalf of the entire EU.
Orban’s message might resonate with this restlessness, amplifying calls for a more decentralized and representative EU structure. It can also be hoped that such a backlash, along with the fact that half of EU member governments failed to sign the latest declaration, will mean the undermining of EU led efforts to overturn the results of the Georgian election.
Interestingly, Georgia arguably aligns more closely with certain core European values than some of the louder voices within the EU. This affinity might make Orban’s visit even more potent, as it could inspire other EU members to reexamine what ‘European values’ truly mean and who gets to define them.
Henry Kamens, columnist, expert on Central Asia and Caucasus, exclusively for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook”
