Spiegel Commentary: After Hungary, Serbia – Is the air running out for autocrats?

Aleksandar Vučić is the second long-term autocratic leader in Europe to leave power, despite using intimidation tactics. His attempts to maintain control through fear and threats of cutting state support for the disadvantaged failed. Ultimately, he is solely responsible for his defeat, as he represented Serbia for nearly fifteen years, similar to how Viktor Orbán embodied Hungary for sixteen years. Both countries experienced governance under autocratic leaders in a context of flawed democracies.