Serbia experienced a seismic political shift on Sunday as long-serving leader Aleksandar Vucic conceded defeat in a highly contested parliamentary election. The vote pitted Vucic and his right-wing Serbian Progressive Party against a diverse, student-led opposition movement that spent two years protesting his government.
Almost immediately, crowds flooded the streets of Belgrade and other cities in euphoric celebration. Belgrade resident Dragana Kovacevic said everyone greeted each other with smiles, adding that people were too happy and finally becoming a normal and free country.
Serbia’s 6.4 million voters cast ballots to fill the 250-member parliament. Vucic announced his defeat roughly an hour and a half after polls closed. He stated that his party projects the youth-backed Students’ List will secure between 135 and 140 seats, while his own party will hold around 105.
Vucic told supporters at his party election night event that it was clear his side had lost. He claimed his party won roughly 1.7 million votes compared to approximately 2.2 million for the Students’ List. He blamed independent media, alleged European interference, and an American deep state for the outcome.
Vucic had sought to become prime minister after serving two near-full terms as president, having resigned from the presidency last month to lead the campaign. Support for the populist leader had eroded since a 2024 tragedy in Novi Sad, where 16 people died after a concrete canopy collapsed at a train station. Protesters blamed the disaster on high-level corruption and rampant graft during renovation work.
Dijana Hrka, the mother of one of the victims, wept while celebrating in Belgrade. She told N1 television she had been waiting for the moment for two years and expected accountability from those responsible.
The leaderless youth movement proved to be a formidable opponent against Vucic’s absolute power. The Students’ List featured little-known experts, athletes, farmers, and artists rather than students on the ballot, focusing on a non-partisan effort to rebuild democracy and the economy.
Turnout reached near-record levels unseen in Serbia since 2000, with long queues forming at polling stations. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen congratulated the student movement and stated that the European Union stands ready to support reforms on the rule of law, media freedom, and the fight against corruption.
Radomir Saicic, a candidate for the Students’ List, told supporters that the outcome was a victory over fear and a citizen’s victory carrying responsibility. Supporters drove through Belgrade honking horns and chanting that Vucic was gone, while crowds dismantled fences and tents at a park where Vucic loyalists had camped.
