Serbia’s long-serving leader Aleksandar Vučić has conceded defeat in snap parliamentary elections after a student-led movement secured a majority of the votes, ending the ruling party’s dominance and sparking celebrations across the country.
Thousands of people took to the streets of Belgrade, Novi Sad and other Serbian cities to celebrate the election results, dancing, chanting “victory” and setting off fireworks as cars honked in support of the student movement.
The movement emerged less than two years ago following a deadly railway station disaster blamed on corruption and negligence, turning public anger into a nationwide protest campaign that eventually developed into a political force challenging Vučić’s government.
The students contested the elections with candidates drawn from different sections of Serbian society, presenting themselves as an alternative to the established political leadership.
“It is clear we have lost these elections,” Vučić said as he acknowledged the defeat of his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS).
According to Serbia’s election commission, with 97 per cent of polling stations counted, the student movement had secured 2.25 million votes, compared with 1.67 million for the former ruling party.
Preliminary figures released late on Monday morning showed the student movement winning 52.7 per cent of the vote, while the SNS garnered 39.2 per cent.
Vučić, who had served two terms as president, was barred from seeking a third term. He had entered the snap elections as leader of the SNS, hoping to return to the position of prime minister, which he left in 2017.
He called the early elections following two years of protests triggered by the collapse of a canopy outside Novi Sad railway station, which claimed the lives of 16 people. The disaster fuelled public anger.
The election outcome marks a major moment for the student-led movement, which transformed public frustration over the tragedy into an electoral challenge against a powerful political establishment.
In Novi Sad, where the fatal railway station disaster occurred, celebrations continued as supporters gathered to mark the victory.
“Serbia is free,” one student told the BBC, describing the outcome as “a miracle”.
Speaking during the celebrations, Student List candidate Radomir Saicic said the results demonstrated the determination of Serbian voters to shape their country’s future.
According to Reuters, Saicic said Serbians had shown that “no obstacle was greater than their will”.
“No force can forever overpower a people who have decided to take their destiny into their own hands,” he added.
The results represent a significant setback for Vučić and the SNS, which had maintained a dominant position in Serbian politics.
