Georgia’s Hungarian Path: Continuation or Reversal After the Elections?

On October 24, 12:30 Berlin time, 14:30 Tbilisi time, the Heinrich Boell Foundation Tbilisi Office – South Caucasus Region invites you to join the Zoom webinar “Georgia’s Hungarian Path: Continuation or Reversal After the Elections?” 

Hungary’s illiberal regime and the consolidation of power under Victor Orban are still widely discussed. However, its foreign policy dimension receives less attention. Orbán’s political model has become a source of inspiration for closet autocrats around the world - and especially in Europe. It is now being imitated in several countries.

As Georgia’s ruling party Georgian Dream began to change its course, gradually adopting illiberal rhetoric and consolidating power, Orbán's national-conservative Fidesz party and Georgian Dream became increasingly close. The Georgian government found an EU government it could emulate while claiming it was still following the European – and not the Russian – path. 

Pivotal parliamentary elections on October 26 will show whether Georgia’s Hungarian trajectory can survive. The ruling Georgian Dream party claims to be determined to win an absolute majority; the opposition aims to form a coalition that would return the country to a democratic, pro-European track. 

During the event, we would like to touch upon the following questions:

• To what extent and how has Georgia copied the Hungarian illiberal model? 
• Why are the potential costs of the Hungarian model even higher in Georgia? 
• Which lessons from Hungary should be drawn by Georgia’s democrats?
• What are the chances for Georgia to stay on the Hungarian path after the upcoming elections? What election outcomes are plausible, and what scenarios could follow?

Our speakers are: 

• Natalie Sabanadze, Chatham House; former Georgian Ambassador to the EU; author of the publication “Georgia’s Imitation Game: Hungary, Russia and the rise of the anti-liberal international,” published by the Heinrich Boell Foundation Tbilisi Office on October 24, 2024
• Peter Kreko, Political Capital Institute
• Nino Samkharadze, Georgian Institute of Politics

Moderator: Sonja Schiffers, Director, Heinrich Boell Foundation Tbilisi Office - South Caucasus Region

To join the event, please register here

Language of the event: English with simultaneous translation into Georgian

In cooperation with Heinrich Böll Foundation - Federal Foundation Berlin