Commentary
Democratic Security
Is Central Europe Losing the Information War?
22 October 2026
23 October 2026
Serbia’s democratic forces may have something to learn from Budapest and Chișinău. Has CEE found a new playbook for defeating hybrid regimes?
A cinematic event of historic proportions – this is how Hungary’s parliamentary elections reverberated globally. For the liberal public, Péter Magyar Europhile banner and his democratic talk were enough to rally behind him. For the alienated centre, his credentials as a regime dissident, his skilful mantra of ‘insider’ knowledge and his moderate-conservative tone sounded like a fair compromise.
As Serbia heads to snap parliamentary elections on 25 October, a new key question arises – is there room for cross-regional mainstreaming, for an ‘aliberal’ democratic butterfly effect marching from Budapest to Belgrade and beyond?