V-DEM Institute report says Serbia election autocracy

The V-Dem Institute Democracy Report 2026: "Unraveling The Democratic Era?" said that it registered a dismantling of democracy, lack of free elections, election government intimidation and a drop in the engaged society indicator.

"Serbia was a liberal democracy when its autocratization episode began. Democracy broke down into electoral autocracy already in 2014. President (and previous Prime Minister) Aleksandar Vučić and his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) have increasingly undermined the quality of Serbian elections, which are no longer considered as free and fair. In 2024, protests broke out in Serbia after the deadly collapse of a roof in a newly renovated railway station in Novi Sad, and the anti-government demonstrations continued throughout 2025," the report said.

Serbia was ranked among the countries considered election autocracies for the 12th year in a row. "31 countries are declining on the free and fair election-indicator, while 28 countries record significant relapses in the autonomy of the Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs). Countries declining on both include Cambodia, Ivory Coast, and Serbia," the report said.

Serbia and Hungary are listed as the countries which have dropped the most on the LDI index.