Long-standing autocrats in Hungary and Serbia face unexpected defeats
Both Hungary’s Viktor Orbán and Serbia’s Alekszandar Vucsicscsal have lost power after years of ruling while denouncing democracy, despite using intimidation and financial pressure.
The article notes that Viktor Orbán, who led Hungary for 16 years, and Alekszandar Vucsicscsal, who dominated Serbian politics for nearly fifteen years, have each been ousted despite their anti-democratic stances. Their strategies, including deploying thugs and threatening to cut state aid to vulnerable groups unless they supported the ruling party, failed to secure their hold on power. The piece argues that fear-mongering, their chief tool, proved ineffective, leaving the leaders to blame their own defeat.
Why it matters
It shows that even entrenched autocrats can be unseated, challenging the notion of inevitable authoritarian dominance in Europe.
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