26.10.2026 09:40
After Aleksandar Vucic accepted electoral defeat in Serbia, an old video resurfaced featuring him together with Viktor Orbán, who lost his 16-year rule in Hungary. Footage of the two leaders standing side by side and waving drew attention with posts referencing the election results.
The early parliamentary elections held in Serbia on October 25 witnessed a significant change in the country's politics. Aleksandar Vucic, one of the strongest figures in Serbian politics for many years, accepted that the list supported by the student movement won the elections.
After the election results, an old video featuring Vucic and former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán together resurfaced. In the footage, the two leaders are seen standing side by side and waving to those around them. The video, recorded in the past, was interpreted as a symbolic farewell image after both figures suffered election defeats.
FIRST ORBÁN, THEN VUCIC LOST
Viktor Orbán, who remained in power in Hungary for 16 years, was defeated by the Tisza Party led by Péter Magyar in the elections held in April 2026. Months after Orbán lost the elections, this time a similar political change took place in Serbia.
In the early parliamentary elections on October 25, the list supported by the student movement left behind the political alliance led by Vucic.
In the first election projections, the student list's vote share was announced at around 52 percent, while the vote share of the list supported by Vucic was around 39 percent.
In his statement on election night, Vucic accepted defeat and said the student list could win 135 to 140 seats in the 250-seat parliament. The final results are expected to be announced by the election commission.
STUDENT PROTESTS TURNED INTO ELECTION VICTORY
Behind the political change in Serbia are student protests that have continued for about two years.
In November 2024, the collapse of a concrete canopy at the train station in the city of Novi Sad, which killed 16 people, caused a major backlash across the country.
In the protests that began after the disaster, students demanded that those responsible be held accountable and that corruption allegations be investigated.
Over time, the demonstrations spread across the country and turned the student movement into a powerful political actor. The list supported by the movement achieved a result that would secure a majority in parliament in the early elections.
CELEBRATIONS WERE HELD IN THE STREETS OF BELGRADE
After Vucic accepted defeat, thousands of people took to the streets in the capital, Belgrade.
Students and opposition supporters celebrated the election result with flags, slogans, and vehicle convoys. The fact that turnout reached around 70 percent was also one of the striking indicators of the political dynamism in the country.
OLD VIDEO TAKES ON NEW MEANING AFTER THE ELECTION
The election defeats in Hungary and Serbia, occurring a few months apart, brought the images of the two leaders together in the past back onto the agenda. The video of Vucic and Orbán waving began to be used after the elections in posts referencing the two politicians' periods in power.