The Democratic Pulse - October-November 2026

Welcome to the latest edition of the European Democrats' newsletter. In just a few weeks, three elections have shown that democracy can still win, even where it seemed most under pressure. In Serbia, a generation of students turned protest into victory, ending more than a decade of Vučić's dominance. In Israel, the vote on 27 October left Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc without a majority and seems to open the way to the end of the Netanyahu era. In the United States, a true blue wave carried the Democrats to control of both the House and the Senate, renewing hope that the Trump era is drawing to a close. These weeks leave us with two lessons. First, democracy holds firm against all odds, even where it looks battered. Second, Europe must be strong, sovereign and autonomous, not reliant on whoever holds power elsewhere at any given moment, because that can always change. In this context, our democratic family met in Athens to launch a Global Alliance of Democrats and welcome new members. And at the end of this newsletter, you will find out how you can join us too.

From Belgrade to Washington, democracy wins

We stood with Serbia's students from the very beginning and all the way to the end, among the few who believed in their extraordinary victory. Since the first protests that followed the tragic collapse of the canopy at Novi Sad railway station in November 2024, we and our Secretary-General, Sandro Gozi, have stood with this movement and with the Serbian people in their rightful aspiration to a European Serbia, where freedom, the rule of law, media freedom and transparency are guaranteed. On 25 October, the Student List won the parliamentary election. "Tonight Belgrade is closer to Brussels," said Sandro Gozi. On 3 November, a few days after our Secretary-General's visit to the United States, it was America's turn, with a stunning defeat for President Donald Trump. "The Democrats' extraordinary victory is a powerful testament to the resilience of American democracy," said Gozi, who also had a message for European democrats: "Elections are not won by speaking only to the converted."

Athens: The Final Countdown

On 23 and 24 October, more than 100 delegates from across Europe and over 300 participants from Greece filled our Congress in Athens. In the statutory session, 18 voices from our member parties shared their battles. We welcomed our newest members, Partei des Fortschritts, Junts per Catalunya and Spazio Pubblico, alongside guest parties BG100 and Nowa Polska. About 400 people gave a standing ovation to Ekrem İmamoğlu, who spoke from prison: "To defend democracy in Türkiye is to defend Europe's democracy as well." Two panels took the debate beyond Europe: Fighters for Freedoms, moderated by Pina Picierno, Vice-President of the European Parliament, with Anna Victoria Politkovskaya, Jewher Ilham and Shervin Haravi, and Defending Democracy: A Global Alliance of Democrats, moderated by MEP Lukas Sieper, with voices from Taiwan, India and Uganda. Marjana Koçeku spoke for Albania, student leader Ana-Marija Radosavljević joined us live from Serbia, and Neera Tanden, President of the Center for American Progress, talked transatlantic relations with us. "If we want to build for the people, we must build with the people," said our President, François Bayrou. Sandro Gozi closed the Congress with a promise: "Democracy will not die on our watch!" → Find out more

Meanwhile

On 15 October, under the motto "Radically pro-European", we brought one of our largest delegations to the Renew Europe Leaders' Summit in Brussels. Belgian Deputy Prime Minister Maxime Prévot was there, together with the leaders of many of our member parties. In Strasbourg, Sandro Gozi, Oihane Agirregoitia and Laurence Farreng called on Europe to shape the future of AI. With MEP Tomáš Zdechovský, Sandro asked the Commission to investigate Russian bot networks, and after the violence in Tirana he urged Edi Rama to open a genuine dialogue with citizens. On Serbia, with MEP Vladimir Prebilič, he raised the alarm over the last independent media. Joachim Streit welcomed the Commission's move towards a political Erasmus with Canada, an idea he had proposed eighteen months earlier. And on 7 November, MEP Christine Singer will host our Bioeconomy Forum in Bavaria.

Your turn: join the European Democrats

Serbia's students, America's voters and Israelis at the ballot box have shown that democracy is not a spectator sport: it wins when citizens decide to take part. Authoritarians are organised. Democrats must be too. As an EDP Supporter, you join a European movement and an international network of people who believe in a stronger, more democratic and more united Europe. Your support helps fund our campaigns for democracy, the rule of law and citizens’ rights, our events and debates across Europe, and the tools that carry our message beyond national borders. In Athens, we promised that democracy will not die on our watch. Help us keep that promise.