Serbia’s student-led movement defeats Vučić’s ruling party in snap election

• Vučić conceded defeat as preliminary results projected a parliamentary majority for the student-backed opposition movement.
• Victory follows nearly two years of protests sparked by a railway station canopy collapse that killed 16 people in Novi Sad in Nov. 2024.
• Record voter turnout marks a major political shift after 14 years of dominance by Vučić’s Serbian Progressive Party.

Supporters of Serbia’s student-led protest movement flooded the streets of Belgrade on Sunday, Oct. 25, celebrating after veteran leader Aleksandar Vučić conceded defeat in snap parliamentary elections that handed the movement a major breakthrough following nearly two years of anti-government protests.

Preliminary results projected that the student-backed Students’ List would win between 135 and 140 seats in Serbia’s 250-member parliament, compared with around 105 for Vučić’s Serbian Progressive Party (SNS). Vučić acknowledged the loss shortly after polls closed, saying the results made it clear his party had been defeated. The final official results were still pending. 

The vote marked a turning point for a protest movement that emerged after a concrete canopy collapsed at the railway station in Novi Sad on Nov. 1, 2024, killing 16 people. The disaster triggered widespread public anger over suspected corruption, alleged irregularities in infrastructure projects and concerns about government accountability.

What began as student demonstrations demanding justice for the victims gradually developed into a nationwide challenge to the political establishment. Students occupied university buildings, organised mass rallies and marched through towns and cities, drawing support from academics, professionals and citizens dissatisfied with the government.

Throughout 2025, demonstrations grew into some of Serbia’s largest protests in decades. Protesters called for greater transparency, accountability over the station disaster and changes to institutions they accused of enabling corruption and concentrating political power. The unrest also contributed to the resignation of then-prime minister Miloš Vučević in January 2025.

The movement ultimately sought to turn its street-level support into political representation through the Students’ List, a slate of candidates backed by the student protesters. Its candidates included academics, athletes, farmers and other professionals, reflecting an effort to build a broad coalition beyond established opposition parties.

Sunday’s election attracted record levels of participation, with turnout approaching 70%, the highest in parliamentary elections in more than three decades, according to preliminary reports. Celebrations erupted across Belgrade after Vučić’s concession, with crowds chanting “Victory” and supporters embracing outside the movement’s headquarters. 

The result represents a major setback for Vučić, whose Serbian Progressive Party has dominated national politics since 2012. Vučić, who served as president from 2017 until resigning in September to lead his party’s election campaign, had sought to return as prime minister.

During the campaign, Vučić accused the student movement of being backed by foreign powers seeking to destabilise Serbia, allegations the protesters rejected. The election also drew scrutiny over reports of voter intimidation, attempted vote-buying and other irregularities raised by independent monitoring groups. 

The outcome could reshape Serbia’s domestic politics and foreign relations. The Balkan country is an EU candidate but has maintained close ties with Russia and China, while balancing relations with Western governments. A new government will face pressure to address corruption allegations, strengthen public institutions and respond to the demands that propelled the student movement from university campuses to the ballot box.

For supporters celebrating in Belgrade, the result marked the culmination of a mobilisation that began with demands for accountability after a deadly disaster and grew into a direct electoral challenge to a government that had held power for more than a decade. The next test will be whether the movement can translate its projected parliamentary majority into lasting institutional change.

Read more: Thousands protest in Belgrade against EU peace plan for Kosovo-Serbia