Protests over the weekend in three central European countries could have geopolitical ramifications for Vladimir Putin‘s influence in the region.
Demonstrators opposed to the rule of Hungary’s prime minister Viktor Orban—Putin’s closest EU ally—took to the streets of Budapest and showed support for Peter Magyar, leader of the Tisza party, which is ahead in the polls.
Former Hungarian foreign minister Péter Balázs told Newsweek on Monday that while Orban is Moscow’s voice in the EU for the time being, a change in government following next year’s parliamentary elections would alter that.
The specter of Moscow also hung over demonstrations in support of the EU in neighboring Romania. Other protesters voiced support for Călin Georgescu, a pro-Kremlin candidate who was the front-runner in December’s election which was canceled by a top court.
Serbia saw its largest anti-government rally in recent history amid discontent at the increasingly autocratic rule of President Aleksandar Vučić who while not an ally of Putin, has maintained close ties with Moscow and refrained from sanctioning Russia.
Newsweek has contacted the Serbian, Romanian and Hungarian foreign ministries for comment.
Why it matters
Isolated from Europe because of his invasion of Ukraine, Putin will be keeping a close eye on developments in Hungary, Romania and non-EU member Serbia.
Orban has opposed EU aid to help Ukraine fight Russia. Moscow is also accused of interfering in Romania’s election, which led to the cancellation of the result favoring Georgescu. Vučić faces separate domestic challenges and accusations of corruption. Belgrade has condemned Putin’s war but the predominantly Orthodox country remains strategically important for Russia.
What to know
Around 50,000 protesters took to the streets of Budapest on Saturday for Hungary’s national day to support Magyar, a former government insider turned leader of the anti-Orbán camp, the Tisza party, according to Reuters.
Magyar, 43, and his party are set to launch a popular survey on 12 key economic and political issues ahead of a parliamentary ballot in 2026 as his party seeks to end the 15-year-rule of Orban’s Fidesz party, which has sparked alarm internationally for its anti-EU and pro-Russian stance.
Magyar has vowed to make Hungary part of a strong Europe, in contrast to Orbán’s Euroskepticism and told supporters the “time has come” for his party.
Balázs, who was Hungary’s foreign minister between 2009 and 2010, said a change in government would mean an end to Hungary’s role as Moscow’s voice in the EU because Magyar is pro-European and would back Ukraine.
He said that Orban believed he would be in power “forever” and had been taken aback by the emergence of a political rival without much money or organizational background.
Magyar would also step up the fight against corruption in Hungary and would act as “the diametrical opposite of what Orban is doing now,” added Balázs, professor emeritus at Budapest’s Central European University.
Romania
According to organizers, around 10,000 rallied in Bucharest on Saturday bearing blue EU and tricolor Romanian flags as they voiced support for Europe and their opposition to rising nationalist and anti-European sentiment.
Romania will repeat its two-round presidential election in May and George Simion, the leader of the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, told supporters “our vote was stolen.”
Voice of America reported the presence of Georgescu supporters at the weekend protests. He has been legally barred from taking part in the return vote following accusations of Kremlin meddling which he and Moscow have denied.
Serbia
In Serbia’s biggest protests for a generation, more than 300,000 people descended on Belgrade on Saturday, according to an independent monitor cited by the BBC. The demonstration marked the culmination of anti-corruption demonstrations sparked by the collapse of a railway station roof in Novi Sad in November that killed 15 people.
Vučić’s Russian-friendly government has faced accusations of corruption and a cover-up of unsafe construction blamed for the deaths. Officials, including the prime minister, have resigned, but the anger is focused on Vučić who had aligned himself with the Novi Sad station’s renovation.
Belgrade-based political analyst, Nikola Mikovic, told Newsweek the protests posed a threat to Vučić but he emerged as the winner, given that the organizers ended the action after a minor incident and so the president will interpret this as a sign of weakness.
Mikovic said that it was significant that before the rally, Vučić had met with Donald Trump Jr which signaled he was seeking the support of the Trump administration.
Mikovic said that Vučić almost certainly got the green light from Washington to go to Moscow to attend the May 9 Victory Day celebrations when he will try to boost relations with Putin—even though Serbia sold 800 million euros’ worth of weapons to Kyiv and backed virtually all anti-Russian resolutions in international arenas.
What people are saying
Former Hungarian foreign minister Péter Balázs: “Orban is Moscow’s voice in the EU for the time being … a government change in Hungary would change that position fundamentally because Peter Magyar is a pro European.”
Belgrade-based political analyst, Nikola Mikovic: “Protests did pose a serious threat to Vučić’s reign, and they seemed to have weakened him.”
What happens next
In Hungary, Balázs said that while Orban controls the public media, Magyar is relying on social media and his popularity could rise as his Tisza party gains momentum through self-organizing units of supporters ahead of the 2026 election.
Romania will rerun the first round of its election on May 4 which could precede a runoff on May 18, although it is not whether Georgescu will be able to participate.
Meanwhile, in Serbia, no further actions have been announced although protests are likely to continue. Vučić praised the security forces afterward for preserving “peace and stability” and said such protests showed “we will have to change ourselves, and we will have to learn a lot,” without specifying further.
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