Hungarian Elections Will Have Drastic Effects on Georgia

(Giorgi Menabde – The Jamestown Foundation) Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze congratulated Péter Magyar’s victory in Hungary’s April 12 parliamentary elections, expressing hope for continued Georgian–Hungarian cooperation. He also thanked outgoing Prime Minister Viktor Orbán for his long-standing support of Georgia’s national interests. Orbán’s defeat has elicited various reactions in Georgia, as Hungary was the ruling Georgian Dream party’s only friend in Europe. The Georgian government and opposition will have to adjust their methods following Budapest’s change in direction. Opposition figures and non-governmental organization leaders in Georgia fear that the Georgian government may tighten pressure on their ongoing protest movement and intensify repression to avoid the same fate as Orbán and his party. – Hungarian Elections Will Have Drastic Effects on Georgia – Jamestown