Serbia's Vučić falls like Hungary's Orbán as youth movements win

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić was defeated in last weekend's parliamentary elections by a student-led movement, mirroring Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's fall to Péter Magyar's Tisza party in April, ending both leaders' long tenures within a year. Both upsets were driven by high youth turnout and tech-savvy activists using AI tools and election monitors to counter voter intimidation and fraud. Hungarian civic groups shared techniques with Serbian students, including identifying "infected" polling districts and deploying mobile teams to deter violence, contributing to opposition victories in both countries. Vučić and Orbán, allies with ties to Russia and China, conceded defeat at similar times, with speculation that Orbán advised Vučić against using force. Both now face potential corruption prosecutions, and the Serbian movement was catalyzed by a deadly railway station collapse linked to corruption.