Exceptional attendance, long lines and numerous complaints of irregularities

Serbian actor Ammar Mesic celebrated the victory of the Student List in the country’s early parliamentary elections on Sunday, marking the end of Aleksandar Vucic’s fourteen-year hold on power. Mesic, who lost acting roles in Serbia after publicly criticizing the Vucic regime, expressed his joy on social media following the result. In a video posted on Instagram, he declared, “Welcome to a free and fair Serbia.” He shared footage of street celebrations featuring chants of “Pumpaj, pumpaj” and the song “Tri poljupca za sreču,” which supporters of the Student List used during their campaign. Mesic told Croatian media two years ago that he was forced to leave his homeland because he could no longer find work there. He stated that he had accused the Serbian government and President Vucic of being responsible for the general condition of the state via social media posts, leading to his dismissal from engagements. “I am not sorry, I would do it again, because I think Serbia is stuck, sinking, and returning to the 1990s,” he said. To survive, Mesic moved to Austria, where he worked on construction sites, before relocating to Zagreb, Croatia. There, he resumed acting while also working as a retail salesperson. Throughout his exile, he continued to criticize the Vucic administration online and supported the student protest movement. The election results conclude the era of Vucic, who led Serbian politics for over a decade. Vucic admitted defeat after voting in New Belgrade alongside his wife, Tamara. He had previously stated that he would accept the will of the voters if he lost. The snap elections were called to determine the composition of the National Assembly, with approximately 6.45 million eligible voters participating. Eighteen candidate lists competed for 250 seats, including nine lists representing national minorities. The primary contest was between the coalition surrounding the ruling Serbian Progressive Party, known as Aleksandar Vucic, United Serbia, and the Student List, Students Are Winning. The Student List emerged from a massive protest movement triggered by the collapse of a train station canopy in Novi Sad in November 2024, an accident that killed sixteen people. Protests initially demanded accountability and investigations into alleged corruption and poor construction standards. These demonstrations expanded into the largest movement in Serbia since the fall of Slobodan Milosevic in 2000, drawing support from teachers, farmers, and other sectors of society. The movement demanded early parliamentary elections as a key requirement. The top candidate for the Student List is Ilija Srdanovic, a doctor and university professor from Novi Sad. Other candidates include experts from various fields, most of whom have not held previous state functions. Pre-election polls indicated a tight race. A survey by the organization Nova srbska politicna misel showed the Student List with 44.5 percent support among identified respondents, compared to 42.7 percent for Vucic’s list. Turnout was exceptionally high, with 64.9 percent of voters having cast ballots by 6 p.m., according to one estimate. This represented a 14 percentage point increase over the same time during the December 2023 elections. Long queues formed outside polling stations across Serbia and abroad, including in Vienna, Munich, Berlin, London, Paris, and Oslo. Some voters waited for hours, singing and dancing traditional circles while they waited. The election outcome carries implications for Serbia’s foreign policy direction. Continuation of Vucic’s leadership might preserve the current balance between efforts toward European Union membership and close relations with Russia and China. A change in government could open the door for institutional reforms, though opposition lists hold varying views on foreign affairs. Vucic, who stepped down as president in September to run for prime minister, faced accusations of concentrating power, undermining independent media, and weakening democratic institutions. His allies denied these claims, while critics linked the Novi Sad tragedy to corruption within his administration. Incidents occurred during the voting process. Police intervened in several locations. In one instance, a coffee maker refused to leave a polling station in Belgrade, prompting police action. In another case, individuals attacked journalists in Vranje. Prosecutors announced the arrest of two suspects, aged 57 and 28, who allegedly insulted reporters, attempted to steal a mobile phone, and threw stones at them. The injured journalists received medical treatment for minor physical injuries. Additionally, tents were set up in Pioneer Park in central Belgrade shortly before polling stations closed. International observers, including a mission from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, monitored the vote, with preliminary findings scheduled for presentation in Belgrade on Monday afternoon.