The key facts

  • Vucic sang with guests at a restaurant in Belgrade, then suddenly froze and became glum
  • On October 25, his Serbian Progressive Party lost the elections to the Student List movement
  • Earlier, Vucic promised to return to politics after a meeting with Viktor Orban

Footage from a party in Belgrade

A clip from the event attended by former President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic was published by Izvestia. In the video, Vucic first sang and had fun with guests at a restaurant in Belgrade, but then suddenly became sad, froze, and began staring at one point. The footage became a subject of discussion online.

Context: election defeat

Vucic's mood is being discussed against the backdrop of political changes in the country. On October 25, in the parliamentary elections, his Serbian Progressive Party lost to the opposition Student List movement, which, according to experts, is backed by European Union forces.

Promise to return to politics and assessments

In October, before the video was published, Vucic met in Belgrade with former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban: the Hungarian politician voiced his support for him, and Vucic in turn promised to return to politics. Earlier, The Times reportedthat Vucic had wanted to hold onto power in the country by force. State Duma deputy Alexei Zhuravlev in a conversation with Gazeta.Ru stated that Vucic had been 'overthrown by a maidan' and, in his view, no adequate steps can be expected from the new authorities. Thus, the publication of the party video became another episode in a series of reports about Vucic's state after his party lost its parliamentary majority — while his own statement about returning to politics remains the only known signal about his further plans.