STORY: :: Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban is booed during a surprise visit to Georgia
: as protests against the country’s tight election results continue
:: October 28, 2024
:: Tbilisi, Georgia
When leaving hotel shortly after arrival, Orban found himself in the crowd of people protesting against the results of the election.
Georgia’s electoral commission said Georgian Dream won Saturday’s (October 26) election with nearly 54% of the vote, but opposition parties disputed the results and called for protests.
The election results are a blow for pro-Western Georgians who had cast the vote as a choice between a ruling party that has deepened ties with Russia and an opposition aiming to fast-track integration with Europe.
Orban, who holds the European Council’s rotating presidency, congratulated Georgian Dream on Saturday on its election victory.
“Georgia is a conservative, Christian and pro-Europe state,” he wrote on social media platform X after his arrival on Monday. “Instead of useless lecturing, they need our support on their European path.”