In brief
A snap parliamentary election in Serbia saw the student‑led Students’ List claim victory over former president Aleksandar Vučić’s party. Ninety‑seven percent of polling stations reported that the Student List secured 52.7% of the vote compared with 39.2% for the Serbian Progressive Party. Celebrations spread across Belgrade, Novi Sad and other cities, with crowds dancing, chanting slogans, and setting off fireworks. The movement, formed amid a tragic railway station collapse, fielded diverse candidates from academia, medicine, sports and the arts, symbolising a broad societal push for anti‑corruption reforms. Regional leaders and EU officials welcomed the result, hinting at an opening chapter for Serbia’s European aspirations.
Serbia's long‑standing leader Aleksandar Vučić has publicly admitted defeat in the snap parliamentary elections, after a student‑led protest movement won a decisive majority.
Crowds poured into the streets of Belgrade, Novi Sad and other cities, dancing, chanting and setting off fireworks as the Student List claimed 52.7% of the vote against the Serbian Progressive Party's 39.2%.
The movement, born out of a two‑year campaign triggered by a tragic accident at a railway station, fielded candidates from doctors, actors, academics and sports figures, presenting a broad cross‑section of society.
Vučić, who could not seek a third term as president, called the elections after the fatal canopy collapse in Novi Sad and vowed to return as prime minister; he now acknowledges that the Student List has won 2.25 million votes to his 1.67 million.
The outcome has been welcomed by regional leaders, with Hungary's prime minister and EU officials signalling openness to a new chapter for Serbia and potential EU accession.
