Serbia’s student-led movement secured a landslide victory in Sunday’s parliamentary election, ending Aleksandar Vučić’s 14-year dominance by winning 140 of 250 seats and pushing his Serbian Progressive Party into opposition with 103 seats.
Preliminary results showed the Student List captured 52.73% of the vote, while Vučić’s coalition took 39.15%, according to the state election commission. Vučić conceded defeat less than two hours after polls closed, though he claimed foreign interference had swayed the outcome. “This was a revolution carried out with direct support from various European countries and the American deep state,” he said .
The movement emerged from protests following the 2024 collapse of a train station canopy in Novi Sad that killed 16 people, a tragedy that became a symbol of alleged corruption and state negligence. Over nearly two years, students organized marches across the country, culminating in a pre-election rally in Belgrade that drew an estimated 150,000 people. Turnout reached 68.78%, the highest in decades .
European leaders swiftly welcomed the result. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU stood ready to support reforms on the rule of law, media freedom, and anti-corruption efforts, adding that “the door to the EU is open” . German Chancellor Friedrich Merz pledged active support for Serbia’s European path, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the outcome “a new chapter” in Serbia’s history .
Moscow reacted cautiously. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia hoped Serbia’s new leaders would recognize the benefits of cooperation with Moscow . Vučić had balanced Serbia’s EU aspirations with close ties to Russia, maintaining one of Europe’s few remaining partnerships with the Kremlin after its invasion of Ukraine.
The Student List, which ran on a platform of institutional accountability and democratic reform, now faces the challenge of transitioning from protest to governance. Its top candidate, Radomir Saičič, declared that “Serbia can be a country of justice, freedom, and dignity” . The movement has yet to name a prime minister or outline its cabinet.
