Serbia’s student-backed University List won about 53 percent of the vote and an absolute parliamentary majority, prompting Aleksandar Vučić to concede defeat and celebrations in Belgrade and other cities. The result followed protests after the Novi Sad station disaster, and the incoming leadership said accountability for the collapse and suspected corruption would be priorities. Serbia’s regional broadcaster apologized for years of one-sided coverage. In Hungary, Peter Magyar said the Serbian students had drawn strength from Hungary’s April election victory.
Hungarian corruption investigations widened across the week. Authorities issued international arrest warrants for Matolcsy Ádám and Stofa György in the central-bank case, while police opened investigations involving central-bank procurements and guarantees. Separate cases concerned alleged irregular cultural grants, ventilator procurement and suspected tax evasion, and the Southern Railway Ring project. Former lawmaker Boldog István received a five-year prison sentence; former minister Miklós Seszták and former culture minister Balázs Hankó remained in detention as investigations continued. Reports also raised questions about military travel, public contracts and the handling of public funds.
The government submitted its 2027 budget proposal, promising tax cuts and higher family benefits, pensions and wages while also reducing some spending and raising some revenues. The proposal drew criticism from János Bóka, who called for its withdrawal. Hungary’s economy grew 1.5 percent year on year and 0.1 percent quarter on quarter in the third quarter, with drought-hit agriculture, weak investment and tourism weighing on performance. The Budget Council raised no fundamental objection to the proposal, while noting that EU approval would affect whether its deficit target complies with EU rules. Nanushka closed its own stores and sought investors and creditors after reporting a large loss.
Hungary regained full participation in Erasmus+ after EU restrictions were lifted, with regular student exchanges expected to resume in the second semester of the 2026–27 academic year. The government also agreed with Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein on 254.1 million euros in funding for 2021–2028. From November 4, former state-security agent data will become searchable, with more than 9,000 detailed files due to be published by February; the archives’ director cautioned that records may be incomplete or unreliable and should be checked against other sources. Births fell to 5,893 in September, while the natural population decline reached 2,895.
Internationally, Israel’s election produced no clear governing majority, leaving coalition negotiations uncertain. Spain declared three days of mourning after a train collision killed at least 68 people. Russia’s war in Ukraine remained prominent: Russia launched missiles and drones at Ukrainian infrastructure, while SpaceX acknowledged restricting Starlink service in Ukraine. Other developments included a proposed expansion of conscription in Lithuania, a helicopter crash in Bosnia that killed three, and a constitutional dispute in Poland. Binance said hackers may have stolen about $6.3 billion in cryptocurrency, while the exchange and stablecoin issuers froze about $3 billion in assets. In culture and sport, the International Ice Hockey Federation’s decision to reinstate Russian national teams drew objections from Canada, Sweden and Finland.
Machine-written summary of Hungarian news. Daily pages link to the original Hungarian articles.