Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic conceded defeat on Sunday after a parliamentary election pitted his ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) against a diverse, student-led opposition movement that had spent two years protesting his government.
The result marked a major political shift in Serbia, where Vucic and his party had held power for 14 years. Vucic, who was endorsed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, had accused the student movement of being a foreign-backed attempt to remove him from power.
The closely contested election drew high turnout and heightened tensions as 6.4 million voters chose lawmakers for Serbia’s 250-member Parliament.
Vucic said his party’s projections showed the youth-backed Students’ List winning between 135 and 140 seats, while the SNS was expected to secure around 105.
“The Students’ List has won,” Vucic told supporters at his party’s election-night event. However, he blamed independent media, alleged interference by unnamed European countries and what he called an “American deep state” for the defeat.
Belgrade erupts in celebration
Vucic said the SNS had secured around 1.7 million votes, compared with approximately 2.2 million for the Students’ List.
Supporters of the student-backed movement immediately took to the streets of Belgrade and other cities, honking car horns, shouting and chanting, “Aleksandar is gone.”
The concession came about an hour and a half after polling stations closed, following a day of mounting tensions.
Police in anti-riot gear cordoned off an area around the election commission headquarters in central Belgrade. Special police vehicles were also seen near a city park where Vucic’s supporters had been camping for more than a year.
Large groups of men dressed in black had gathered at several locations across the city.
Protests over corruption weaken Vucic’s grip
Vucic had sought to become Serbia’s prime minister after serving almost two full terms as president. He resigned from the presidency last month to lead his party’s election campaign.
His support had eroded since 16 people were killed in 2024 when a concrete canopy collapsed at a railway station in Novi Sad. The incident triggered a wave of youth-led protests, with demonstrators blaming the disaster on high-level corruption, cronyism and widespread graft during renovation work at the station.
Despite the protests, Vucic retained considerable support among Serbian voters. His admirers viewed him as a capable leader able to steer the country through global uncertainties, an image carefully cultivated by mainstream media.
The increasingly authoritarian leadership style attributed to Vucic had previously helped him outmanoeuvre Serbia’s fragmented opposition. However, the leaderless student movement emerged as a formidable challenge to his hold on power.
The newly formed Students’ List was shaped by university students, although none of them appeared on the electoral list itself. Instead, its candidates comprised relatively unknown experts, athletes, farmers and artists.
The approach was intended to counter Vucic’s one-man rule and restore a sense of community and solidarity. During the campaign, the movement promoted a non-partisan effort to rebuild Serbia’s economy and restore democracy.
The students used their energy to attract voters disillusioned with established politicians. Despite being vilified by pro-government media, they cycled and walked across the country to reach voters in rural areas traditionally supportive of Vucic.
The victory echoed the recent electoral defeat of Vucic’s ally in Hungary, where youth participation helped remove Viktor Orbán after 16 years in power and usher in a new pro-European government.
The outcome was also expected to resonate beyond Serbia, as countries across Europe have faced youth-led protests over various issues.
Election closely watched by European Union
Election monitors had predicted that turnout could reach around 70%, a level unseen in Serbia since 2000. Long queues formed at polling stations throughout the country and in cities overseas.
Some members of the Serbian diaspora had to vote in the middle of the night after authorities tied overseas voting hours to Serbian local time.
Previous Serbian elections had been marred by irregularities, prompting close scrutiny from the European Union as the country seeks membership in the bloc.
Independent election monitors reported dozens of suspected irregularities on Sunday, including the photographing of ballots, which could indicate pressure on voters, and attempted vote-buying.
International and local monitors had also raised concerns about the safety and fairness of the campaign, citing detentions, near-total government control over the media, and reports of surveillance and cyberattacks targeting activists.
Local elections earlier this year in 10 Serbian municipalities were marked by violent attacks on journalists and activists. The previous parliamentary election, held in 2023, was followed by opposition protests over alleged fraud.
