Student List wins 140 seats in Serbian parliament vote
Turnout hits 30-year high as long-time leader Aleksandar Vucic concedes defeat to the movement formed after the Novi Sad tragedy.
By Isabella Kaur ·
Aleksandar Vucic, the Serbian president who has dominated the country's political scene for over a decade, admitted defeat on Sunday. He acknowledged the loss to supporters after vote samples showed his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) securing 105 seats in the 250-member parliament. The student-led opposition group, the Student List, was projected to claim between 135 and 140 seats. Voter participation reached its highest point in more than 30 years, signaling a major shift in the nation's electoral dynamics.
The political movement that ousted Vucic's dominant party began in November 2024. The catalyst was the death of 16 people when a train station canopy collapsed in Novi Sad. What started as a youth-led protest against the accident evolved into a widespread social movement. The demonstrators, which included university professors, doctors, and workers, formed the Student List platform. They campaigned on pledges to combat corruption, depoliticize public institutions, and restore citizen rights. Ilija Srdanovic, a professor at the Faculty of Medicine in Novi Sad, led the campaign for the new group.
Vucic, born in Belgrade in 1970, entered politics in 1993 with the ultranationalist Serbian Radical Party. His early record featured strong nationalist rhetoric. In July 1995, days after the Srebrenica genocide, he told parliament that killing one Serb would result in the killing of 100 Muslims. He later co-founded the SNS with Tomislav Nikolic in 2008 to position the party closer to mainstream European politics. The party took power in 2012, promising to fight corruption and organized crime.
Vucic served as first deputy prime minister from 2012 to 2014, then as prime minister, before becoming president in 2017. He won re-election in 2022, with his term originally set to run until 2027. Under pressure from the sustained protests, he resigned in September 2026 and called for early elections. Despite stepping down as head of state, he retained significant influence over his party and state policy until the final vote.
The economy showed strong growth during Vucic's tenure. Unemployment dropped from 26 percent to between 8 and 9 percent. Nominal GDP nearly tripled to approximately 90 billion euros. Annual foreign direct investment rose from roughly 800 million euros in 2012 to a record 5.2 billion euros in 2024. The government also built a network of modern motorways. However, critics noted that higher wages did not always translate to better living standards, with cost of living and public debt remaining key issues.
Political scientist Dusko Radosavljevic described the students as giving voice to the justified anger of citizens. He characterized the past decade as a period of systematic pressure and the destruction of social institutions. Radosavljevic noted that intelligence services spent considerable time monitoring political opponents while critical thinking was pushed out of public media. Journalist Safeta Bisevac stated that Vucic established almost complete control over the state apparatus, fulfilling few of his initial promises.
The next phase involves the formal counting of votes and the subsequent formation of a new government. The Student List will negotiate with potential coalition partners to build a majority in the parliament. The transition marks the end of the SNS's continuous grip on power since 2012. The new administration will inherit a strong economic foundation but face immediate challenges regarding public debt and institutional reform.
