TBILISI, Georgia, Oct 29, (AP): Georgia's ruling party, which has faced massive opposition protests demanding the annulment of its declared victory in the weekend parliamentary election amid allegations of vote rigging helped by Russia, is getting a boost with the visit from Hungary's prime minister. Victor Orbán, the first foreign leader to congratulate Georgian Dream, arrived on Monday in Georgia on a trip that highlighted his rifts within the European Union.

The EU said he doesn't have any mandate from the bloc for the visit. Tens of thousands of Georgians rallied outside parliament on Monday night, demanding a new election under international supervision and a probe into the alleged vote rigging. The protest underlined tensions in the country which lies between Russia and Turkey and where the governing Georgian Dream party has become increasingly authoritarian and tilted toward Moscow.

President Salome Zourabichvili, who has rejected the official results, told The Associated Press that Georgia has fallen victim to Russian pressure against joining the EU. She said she hopes the United States and EU back the demonstrations. "We’ve seen that Russian propaganda was directly used,” said Zourabichvili, a mostly ceremonial president and a fierce critic of Georgian Dream. She said the government has been "working hand-in-hand with Russia,” and "probably” received help from Moscow’s security services.