Serbia and its new leadership can count on Hungary, Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar said in Berlin. He welcomed the results of Serbia’s parliamentary elections and expressed his readiness to visit Belgrade to meet with the future governing officials.
“Serbia and its new leadership can count on Hungary for accession to the European Union and on other issues,” Magyar said at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Student list wins majority
Snap parliamentary elections in Serbia were held on October 25, while a rerun vote took place in 53 polling stations on November 1. The final results were announced on November 5.
The “Students Win” list received 2,354,417 votes and won 140 of the 250 seats in the National Assembly. The “Aleksandar Vučić – United Serbia” coalition was left with 103 seats after receiving 1,731,323 votes.
The Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians won two seats. The Albanian Coalition also won two seats, while three other lists representing minority groups received one parliamentary seat each.
The student list’s victory brought an end to the 14-year rule of the Serbian Progressive Party. The movement emerged after the canopy of the railway station in Novi Sad collapsed in November 2024, killing 16 people. The subsequent protests grew into broad demands for political change and accountability for the tragedy.
Budapest pledges support for European integration
Magyar said he would be among the first foreign leaders to visit Serbia’s new leadership, or would invite it to Hungary. He added that, if necessary, he would defend the interests of the Western Balkan countries on the issue of accession “very loudly” within the European Union.
“Europe still has a great debt to the Western Balkans,” the Hungarian prime minister said. In his view, Montenegro’s possible imminent accession to the EU would be a positive sign for the region.
The first session of Serbia’s new parliament is scheduled for November 17. At this point, a new government has still not been formed, and the victorious student list must determine its candidate for prime minister and the composition of the future cabinet.
Sources: budapesttimes.hu, apnews.com