Hungary sent fake observers to Georgia’s elections
The European Platform for Democratic Elections (EPDE) has once again uncovered a case involving politically biased “international observers” from Hungary at Georgia’s local elections.
Not the first case in Russia’s neighbour
The organisation identified 29 fake election observers who, rather than monitoring the process objectively, helped the ruling Georgian Dream party appear legitimate during the 4 October 2025 vote.
This practice is not new. The Georgian Dream party has previously invited politically aligned observers to counterbalance reports of irregularities from genuine international monitors, according to Telex. Similar tactics have long been used in Russia, Azerbaijan and Belarus.
According to the EPDE, the majority of these fake observers came from European countries, most notably Hungary and France, with smaller delegations from Poland, Italy, Malta, the United Kingdom and the United States. Representatives from Belarus and Uzbekistan were also present to give the appearance of geographical diversity.
Six of the fake observers were Hungarian
Among those identified were six Hungarians:
- András László, Fidesz Member of the European Parliament, who the EPDE says had already acted as a fake observer at the 2024 Georgian elections,
- Barbara Szilvia Hegedüs, Fidesz Member of the Hungarian Parliament,
- Norbert Révai-Bere, foreign policy adviser to the Hungarian Parliament and former Consul General in India,
- Fanni Lajkó, analyst at the Centre for Fundamental Rights,
- Juan Efraín Rocha, former government official at the Prime Minister’s Office,
- and László István Németh, head of the western Transdanubian branch of the Recsk Association.
The EPDE’s report included several statements made by the participants. András László praised what he called a “stable and well-functioning electoral system” and commended the advanced electronic voting technology.
Barbara Szilvia Hegedüs, presenting herself as an “independent observer from Hungary”, claimed that the elections were “transparent and well organised” and that citizens were “actively engaged in strengthening local democracy”.
The European Union is not happy about Hungary’s actions
The EPDE recalled that this was not the first time Hungarian nationals were involved in such cases. In 2024, the organisation identified 22 fake observers, including András László, Fanni Lajkó and Lőrinc Nacsa.
The Georgian Dream party has long been considered a political ally of Viktor Orbán and Hungary’s ruling Fidesz. The pro-Russian party often cites the Hungarian government as an example to follow.
On the night of the 2024 elections, Orbán congratulated Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze shortly after the exit polls were published, later travelling to Tbilisi in person.
The European Parliament later condemned the visit in a resolution, describing it as a move that went against the EU’s common position.