Lessons From Serbia and Brazil About Defending Democracy
October 26, 2026
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The following is a statement from Susan Corke, executive director of Democracy Defenders Action, on recent elections in Brazil and Serbia.
“Next week’s midterm elections will be a defining test of our democracy. After two years of democratic backsliding, repeated assaults on the rule of law, and congressional leaders too often unwilling to check presidential power, many Americans are asking whether the damage can be undone and whether people have the power to change history. This weekend, voters in Serbia and Brazil gave their answer: it can and we can.
“In Serbia, the spark that lit outrage over corruption was a tragedy in November 2024, when a newly renovated train station canopy collapsed killing 16 people and exposing years of corruption. A student-led movement grew from street protests into a political force that turned out an estimated 300,000 people to Belgrade’s streets in March 2025. After nearly two years of organizing, the movement defeated the party led by President Aleksandar Vucic, which had dominated Serbia for 14 years, in parliamentary elections that Vucic called for in September. This election outcome is a powerful rebuke to the idea that democratic backsliding cannot be reversed and that young people will not wait for permission to save their democracy.
“In Brazil, voters returned Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to the presidency, defeating far-right candidate Flávio Bolsonaro in a closely contested runoff. No candidate had ever come from behind to win a runoff since Brazil returned to direct elections. Lula’s comeback shows that broad mobilization and sustained organizing can make the impossible possible.
“We face our own test of democratic resilience next week. Wealth, corruption and incessant attacks on the rule of law are shaping our daily lives at an extraordinary scale. The world’s richest man has poured nearly half a billion dollars into this election to elect candidates of his choice. The Trump administration is sowing chaos, casting doubt on results before ballots are counted, and laying the groundwork to challenge the vote. And still, people are showing up — casting early ballots, organizing and making their voices heard, even in districts Trump-allied legislators gerrymandered to silence them.
“Brazil and Serbia are continents and oceans apart, but the lessons from their recent elections are applicable for anyone thinking about democratic resilience. Serbia shows that persistence can challenge entrenched power. Brazil shows that mobilization and participation can challenge assumptions and change foregone conclusions. Both remind us that ordinary people hold power in a democracy, and that we can defend it when we show up, even as the wealthy and powerful try to silence us. Next week, Americans will write history ourselves.”
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Democracy Defenders Action brings together a nonpartisan team to work with national, state, and local allies across the country to defend in real-time the foundations of our democracy.
For media inquiries, contact, press@democracydefenders.org.
