Serbia’s long-time political leader Aleksandar Vučić has conceded defeat after a student-led movement secured a decisive victory in the country’s snap parliamentary elections.
Thousands of people took to the streets of Belgrade, Novi Sad and other Serbian cities to celebrate the result, with crowds chanting, dancing and setting off fireworks.
With 96% of polling stations counted, Serbia’s election commission said the Student List had received around 2.24 million votes, compared with 1.67 million for Vučić’s Serbian Progressive Party (SNS). Preliminary figures put the Student List at 52.65%, while the SNS was on 39.2%.
“It is clear that we have lost these elections,” Vučić said while addressing supporters at the SNS headquarters in Belgrade.
Vučić has served two terms as Serbia’s president and was constitutionally unable to seek another term. He had campaigned for his SNS party with the intention of returning to the position of prime minister, a role he previously held until 2017.
The election followed nearly two years of widespread protests sparked by the collapse of a concrete canopy at a railway station in Novi Sad, which killed 16 people. The disaster became a symbol of alleged corruption, poor oversight and government negligence, fueling a growing student-led anti-government movement.
The movement eventually transformed from a protest campaign into an electoral force. Its candidates included people from a wide range of professions, including doctors, academics, actors and sports figures.
Ilija Srdanović, the leading candidate of the Student List, described the result as the beginning of a new era for the country.
“This will be a free state,” he told BBC Serbian, saying the movement wanted to free Serbia from what it described as years of authoritarian rule.
Large celebrations continued through the night. In Belgrade, supporters gathered in Slavija Square, while Novi Sad — the city where the protests began — also saw large crowds.
One supporter told the BBC that the result felt like “a miracle”, while others expressed hope that political change would improve the country.
Political scientist Nebojša Vladisavljević of the University of Belgrade described the outcome as an extraordinary political shift, saying the Student List now had a strong mandate to form a government.
The movement campaigned on a platform focused heavily on anti-corruption reforms. Its proposals include removing officials accused of violating rules, preventing political loyalists from running state-owned companies, protecting protesters’ rights and reducing political influence over Serbia’s public broadcaster.
Vučić and the SNS have repeatedly rejected accusations of corruption.
Foreign reactions to the result were also swift. European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos said the election could open “a new chapter” for Serbia and reiterated that the European Union was ready to work with the country.
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov praised Vučić’s contribution to Serbia-Russia relations and said Moscow hoped Serbia’s new political leadership would continue to recognize the importance of cooperation with Russia.
The election attracted significant attention among Serbia’s large diaspora, with voters forming long queues in cities including Ljubljana, Munich, Paris, Los Angeles and Chicago.
The vote was held amid heightened political tensions, with police restricting access to streets around Serbia’s Republic Electoral Commission headquarters in Belgrade.
The immediate challenge for the Student List will be deciding who will lead the new government. Serbia is also scheduled to hold presidential elections in December, with parliamentary speaker Ana Brnabić currently serving as caretaker president.
The election marks one of the biggest political challenges to Vučić’s decade-long dominance of Serbian politics and could significantly reshape the country’s domestic and foreign policy.