Orbán praises Georgian election as he faces backlash from EU countries over 'premature' visit

Viktor Orbán has praised the parliamentary elections in Georgia as "free and democratic" despite facing backlash from other European Union members over his visit to the capital, Tbilisi.

A group of 13 countries, including Germany and France, blasted the Hungarian prime minister for being "premature" and lacking a mandate to speak on the bloc's behalf.

Saturday's closely watched poll saw the ruling Georgian Dream party win a majority of seats with 54% of all votes, followed at a distance by several opposition parties.

A joint observation mission led by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) said the elections were "well organised and orderly" but found a "tense environment" and "widespread reports of pressure on voters", including cases of intimidation, coercion and vote-buying that "compromised" the secrecy of the vote.

"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."

Orbán, whose country currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU Council and is tasked with chairing ministerial meetings, expressed support for Georgia's ambitions to join the bloc, calling the election results a "pro-European choice" in favour of "peace".

"Nobody wants to destroy his own country and bring it into a senseless war," he said, in an apparent reference to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Kobakhidze, who has sought to minimise the alleged irregularities, voiced his "personal gratitude" to Orbán and said both countries were connected by "Christian values".

"The fact that the prime minister's