Thousands of students celebrate in Belgrade after Vucic concedes in Serbia election

Thousands of students and supporters flooded the streets of Belgrade on Sunday night, halting trams and clogging the city’s main boulevards in celebration after Aleksandar Vucic conceded defeat in the Serbian parliamentary election. The long-time leader admitted that his Serbian Progressive Party, known as SNS, had lost to the student-backed electoral list, marking the end of more than a decade of his dominance in the Balkan country. Smoke hung in the air as crowds waved flares and passed cars honked their horns near the election commission’s headquarters. The victory represents a profound political shift in the nation of approximately 6.5 million people, ending a period of strong economic growth under Vucic but ushering in uncertainty regarding how the new, inexperienced leadership will govern. Vucic, who has served as either prime minister or president since 2014, addressed his supporters at the SNS headquarters roughly 90 minutes after polling stations closed. Citing projections based on a stratified sample, he stated that the Students’ List was set to win between 135 and 140 seats in the 250-member parliament, while the SNS was projected to secure around 105 seats. The Student List reportedly garnered more than two million votes. In his concession speech, Vucic declared, “It is clear that we lost these elections.” He attributed the defeat to interference from independent media, unnamed European countries, and what he described as an “American deep state” that opposes United States President Donald Trump. Without providing evidence, he characterized the opposing movement as “just contractors doing some very dirty work.” Despite conceding, Vucic pledged a future comeback, telling his base, “I’ll defeat them much sooner than they think.” The election result serves as the culmination of a two-year, largely peaceful protest movement that demanded Vucic step down and end what demonstrators described as rampant corruption. This wave of dissent originated following a catastrophic structural failure in November 2024, when an awning at a railway station in the city of Novi Sad collapsed, killing 16 people. The disaster sparked widespread anger over alleged corruption, cronyism, and poor construction standards in public infrastructure projects. While authorities rejected allegations of negligence, the incident galvanized university students to stage blockades and marches. These demonstrations quickly evolved into a broad coalition, drawing support from beyond the student body and becoming the largest social movement in Serbia since the fall of Slobodan Milosevic in 2000. The victorious electoral list, titled “Student List - Students Win,” was shaped by university students, although the students themselves did not appear on the ballot. Instead, the list fielded 250 candidates comprising lawyers, professors, actors, farmers, and other professionals. This strategy aimed to challenge Vucic’s personalized style of rule and establish a broader, non-partisan movement. At the movement’s headquarters, candidates and supporters embraced, cheered, and chanted “Victory! Victory!” as the scale of their achievement sank in. Many of the candidates remained relatively unknown to the public prior to the election. One supporter, Nebojsa Cosic, waved a flag in the street and shouted, “The people have won! The people defeated a dictator! The people will lead Serbia!” Another celebrant, a law student identified as Milica, expressed her relief, stating, “That is the best thing that happened in my life. We will now breathe freely.” The election took place against a backdrop of high tension and record participation. Voter turnout reached 69 percent, the highest level recorded in 33 years. Pre-election polls had indicated a tight race between the incumbent SNS and the newly formed, youth-backed opposition. Vucic had resigned as president earlier to call for a snap election, hoping to return to power as prime minister, a maneuver similar to strategies used by Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, this plan backfired due to the massive mobilization of the protest movement. The European Union, which views Serbia as a potential member state, watched the vote closely. The political landscape in Serbia is now being redrawn. The parliament is expected to consist primarily of two large blocs. The Student List lacks a single designated leader and its members generally do not possess extensive experience in government. Radomir Saicic, one of the movement’s leaders, urged citizens to maintain peace and dignity, stating, “This is the victory of the conviction that Serbia can and will do better. We call on all citizens to act peacefully and in dignified manner. We didn’t fight for months to lose it today.” The movement plans to initiate reviews into previous government deals and policies. Vucic’s defeat makes him the second long-time leader in Eastern Europe to lose power this year, following the recent ousting of his Hungarian ally, Viktor Orban. The immediate future for the new administration remains unclear, as the disparate group of candidates transitions from campaigning to governing.