The far-right just lost. Twice.

In a stunning turn of events, two elections in distant nations marked a significant victory for democratic values over nationalist right-wing politics. On October 26, 2026, Serbia's Students' List movement triumphantly ousted the country's ruling right-wing political machine, while halfway across the globe, Brazilian voters resoundingly re-elected incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva over his far-right challenger, Flávio Bolsonaro.

The former Brazilian president's second-place finish in the initial round of voting served as a wake-up call, fueling a wave of protests and grassroots organizing that ultimately propelled him to an unexpected victory in the runoff election.

Serbian students first launched their movement in 2024, spurred by the government's failure to fully explain and rectify a partial railway station collapse that killed 16 people. Months of marches, protest bike rides, and other demonstrations ensued, ultimately giving birth to the Student List, an opposition electoral slate that fielded 250 candidates in the parliamentary elections.

Similarly, in Brazil, Lula's resurgence in popularity was driven by a surge in voter turnout, with one WhatsApp channel dedicated to mobilizing supporters swelling to nearly 11 million followers from just 50,000 after his initial defeat. These electoral outcomes offer a glimmer of hope for democratic institutions worldwide, demonstrating that grassroots organizing and mass protests can still significantly impact electoral processes—both abroad and potentially at home.