Serbia’s leader Aleksandar Vučić, who conceded defeat on 28 October, was reportedly prepared to use force to cling to power after his election defeat, but backed down following calls from European leaders, according to British newspaper The Times. Unconfirmed reports have suggested that Hungary’s former prime minister Viktor Orbán may have been among those who persuaded him to concede.
Vučić’s political camp suffered a major defeat in Sunday’s snap parliamentary election, with the student-backed Student List securing a decisive victory. Vučić subsequently acknowledged the result, saying it was clear his side had lost. Preliminary official results put the Student List on 52.71% of the vote, compared with 39.17% for the list led by Vučić.
Thousands of police officers and alleged enforcers deployed in Belgrade
According to The Times, around 4,000 police officers and 3,000 alleged regime enforcers were deployed in central Belgrade on Sunday evening. The report claims that the men were expected to help the authorities retain control if the election result went against Vučić.
Spasoje Vulević, the former head of Serbia’s anti-terrorist police unit, told the newspaper he was convinced that Vučić had planned to reject the result.
“I am 100% sure he planned not to recognise the results,” Vulević said, according to The Times.
The report claims the situation changed at around 9.30 PM, approximately 90 minutes after polling stations closed. The men reportedly disappeared from streets that had been closed off, while Vučić subsequently conceded defeat.
However, the allegations have not been independently established. Vučić’s spokeswoman denied that there had been a coup plot, saying the heavy police presence was a response to threats of violence from protesters.
European leaders reportedly intervened
Sandro Gozi, a Member of the European Parliament, told The Times that diplomatic sources had provided alarming information about the possibility of Vučić attempting to seize or retain power by force.
Radomir Saičić, a prominent candidate on the Student List, also claimed that the authorities had considered using force to invalidate the vote if the result was close. He said Vučić had received several phone calls from police officers and other individuals who warned him that carrying out such a plan would end badly.
Former police officer Spasoje Vulević suggested that the decisive calls had come from European governments at the highest level.
The identity of the people who allegedly intervened, however, has not been definitively established.
Did Viktor Orbán persuade Vučić to back down?
Speculation has circulated in Serbian media that Viktor Orbán may have played a role in persuading Vučić to accept defeat. The reports are unconfirmed, and there is no independently verified evidence establishing that Orbán stopped an attempted coup.
Vučić himself confirmed that Orbán had called him after the election defeat. Speaking to Serbian broadcaster Informer TV on Tuesday evening, the former Serbian leader also indicated that the two could meet in Belgrade within days.
“We will fight together, and we will succeed relatively soon,” Vučić said, according to Szeretlek Magyarország.
The planned meeting could attract attention given the close political relationship between the two leaders. Orbán lost power in Hungary in April 2026 after 16 years in government, while Vučić’s political camp has now suffered a major electoral setback in Serbia.
Read our analysis: Serbia’s shock election result echoes Hungary’s political earthquake – But there is one big difference
