Democratic Gains in Brazil, Serbia, Israel, and United States
Voters in four nations delivered significant setbacks to authoritarian-leaning leaders in a series of elections held between October 25 and November 5, 2026.
A wave of elections across four countries between October 25 and November 5, 2026, resulted in major losses for authoritarian-leaning leaders. In Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva secured a fourth presidential term with nearly 52% of the vote, defeating Flávio Bolsonaro, who fled to Miami following the second-round loss.
In Serbia, a student-led grassroots movement ended the 14-year rule of Aleksandar Vučić by winning 140 of 250 national assembly seats. Meanwhile, in Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu lost his parliamentary majority in the Knesset as Arab Israeli parties increased their representation and Gadi Eisenkot led a Zionist opposition bloc to challenge Netanyahu's leadership.
In the United States, Democrats won clear majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, limiting the power of President Donald Trump for the remainder of his term. While these results are viewed as a victory for democratic resilience, the new administrations face immediate hurdles, including a hostile Congress in Brazil, ethnic divisions during government formation in Israel, and the challenge of depoliticizing federal agencies in the United States.
