English
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic conceded defeat on Sunday after a historic snap election delivered a stunning victory to a student-led protest movement. The result ends Vucic’s long dominance over Serbian politics and marks the beginning of a new political era in the Balkan nation.
Celebrations broke out across Belgrade immediately after Vucic’s announcement. Cars honked through the streets as students chanted “victory” and “he’s done.” The mood reflected the scale of a political shift that many Serbs had long considered unthinkable.
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A Movement Born from Tragedy
The snap election followed nearly two years of sustained student-led demonstrations. Protesters took to the streets over widespread anger at perceived corruption and growing authoritarianism. The catalyst was the deaths of 16 people in 2024, when a canopy collapsed at a train station in the city of Novi Sad.
Radomir Sajcic, a professor at Belgrade University, spoke on behalf of the students at their headquarters. “Dear Serbia, tonight the voice of the people is being heard,” he said. “Tonight we celebrate victory, tomorrow we build the future.”
Voter turnout reached nearly 70%. That figure represents the highest participation rate in Serbia since the break-up of Yugoslavia in 1992. Long queues formed at polling stations in cities and towns across the country, reflecting a broad public desire for change.
Election Results and Seat Projections
Vucic acknowledged the outcome clearly and without delay. “It is clear that we have lost these elections,” he said, speaking from preliminary results. “The Student List has won. They will have between 135 and 140 seats and we will have 105. No one else has entered parliament.”
A representative sample from CESID-IPSPS pollsters supported that projection. The student candidate list looked set to secure 138 seats in the 250-seat parliament. Meanwhile, Vucic’s Serbian Progressive Party appeared to have won 104 seats. Ethnic national minority parties will share the remaining seats.
On the streets of Belgrade, the reaction was emotional. “Unbelievable happiness and joy — we have finally got rid of this mafia,” said a woman named Tanja, who was celebrating in the capital. “I am so happy I cannot speak.”
A Tense Election Day
The day was not without tension. Police in anti-riot gear cordoned off an area around the election commission headquarters in central Belgrade. Local media reported several violent incidents across the country. Special police vehicles also appeared near a Belgrade park where Vucic’s supporters had been camping for more than a year.
Less than two hours before polls closed, a student representative urged citizens to “stay calm and composed.” Throughout the day, long queues also formed at Serbian polling stations abroad. Some voters waited in line in the middle of the night, as authorities tied overseas voting hours to local Serbian time.
In Belgrade, Vucic himself stood in line for nearly two hours alongside his wife before casting his ballot. He told reporters he hoped for a peaceful day and pledged to respect the result. “The will of the people is the will of God: vox populi, vox dei,” he said. “If we lose, we will recognise the electoral will. If we win, no one will take it away from us.”
Broader Significance Across Europe
The student victory carries significance well beyond Serbia’s borders. It echoes the recent electoral defeat of Vucic’s ally in Hungary, where strong youth participation helped remove the autocratic Viktor Orbán after 16 years in power and brought in a new pro-European government.
The outcome is likely to resonate across Europe, where youth and student protest movements are increasingly challenging established political figures. For 14 years, Vucic’s party held firm control over Serbia. However, the leaderless student movement proved to be a far more formidable opponent than any of the country’s fractured traditional opposition parties had managed to be.
