Serbia's Vucic concedes election defeat to student-led list
Aleksandar Vucic conceded defeat in Serbia's snap parliamentary election on Sunday after the student-led Student List won a majority, ending 14 years of his party's rule.
Aleksandar Vucic conceded defeat in Serbia's snap parliamentary election on Sunday, saying the Student List, a movement that grew out of two years of student protests, had won a majority in parliament.
"We have not yet got the final results, but it is clear that we have lost the election. The Student List will have between 135 and 140 seats, and we will have 105," Vucic said, according to RTS Info. His Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) had governed Serbia for 14 years.
Serbia's state broadcaster RTS put the Student List's vote share at about 52%, against roughly 39.9% for the SNS, according to Blick. Euronews reported the Student List had won 2.2 million votes to the SNS's 1.72 million, a margin of 52% to 32.3%. The Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians won three seats and Albanian minority candidates one, Vucic said, with no other party expected to cross the threshold needed to affect the outcome.
Turnout reached 67.6%, the highest since Yugoslavia broke up in 1992, RTS Info reported. Crowds sounded car horns and filled central Belgrade's streets, raising their arms in celebration after Vucic's concession speech. "Serbia has won, as we promised," Student List representative Ilija Srdanovic told supporters, according to RTS Info. "We will never have a tyrant in this country again."
The Student List emerged from protests that began among university students over the country's education system and grew into a mass movement after the collapse of a railway station canopy in Novi Sad in November 2024, which killed 16 people and triggered nationwide anger over corruption and mismanagement, according to Blick and RTS Info.
Riot police were deployed in central Belgrade on Sunday evening as supporters of Vucic's government set up tents again in a park outside the presidency building that had served as a camp for months, N1 Srbija reported. The Students in Blockade group urged residents to avoid areas with a heavy police presence and to "stay safe, peaceful and dignified."
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What we know
- 1 outlet Aleksandar Vucic conceded defeat in Serbia's parliamentary election on Sunday, saying the Student List had won a majority.
- 1 outlet The Student List is projected to win 135-140 of 250 seats, against about 105 for Vucic's SNS, according to RTS Info.
- 1 outlet Turnout reached 67.6%, the highest since 1992, as crowds celebrated in central Belgrade.
- 1 outlet The movement grew out of student protests following the 2024 Novi Sad railway canopy collapse that killed 16 people.
- 1 outlet Riot police were deployed in Belgrade on Sunday evening as a pro-government camp was set up again near the presidency.
Not yet confirmed
- Unconfirmed The final seat count, pending complete results.
How each fact is established: Verified checked by an ECTV editorOfficial stated by an official body2+ outlets reported independently by two or more news organisations1 outlet reported by a single news organisation so farUnconfirmed claimed or reportedHow we label facts
Why it matters for Europe
Vucic had dominated Serbian politics for 14 years, combining control over much of the media with a personalised political style, and his departure from government marks a sharp break for a country whose foreign policy balances ties with the European Union, Russia and China. The new leadership will face immediate questions over EU accession, relations with Brussels, Washington, Moscow and Beijing, and over Kosovo, which the European angle makes directly relevant to regional stability in the Balkans.
Sources
Reported by 18 reports from 18 independent outlets in 13 countries.
- N1 Srbija: Riot police deployed in central Belgrade, Students call for calm
- Sveriges Radio Ekot: Politiskt jordskalv i Serbien – Vucic erkänner sig besegrad
- RTS Info: Le nationaliste Aleksandar Vucic concède sa défaite face au mouvement étudiant lors des législatives serbes
- Kleine Zeitung: Machtwechsel in Serbien: Amtsinhaber Aleksandar Vučić räumt Niederlage ein
- Blick: Vučić räumt Niederlage in Serbien ein
Source balance
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Questions and answers
- Who won Serbia's election?
- The Student List, a movement that grew out of student-led protests, won a parliamentary majority, Aleksandar Vucic said as he conceded defeat.
- How many seats did each side win?
- The Student List is projected to win 135-140 seats against about 105 for Vucic's Serbian Progressive Party, according to RTS Info.
- What triggered the protest movement?
- It grew from student-led demonstrations that expanded after a railway station canopy collapsed in Novi Sad in November 2024, killing 16 people.
This article was written with AI assistance from 19 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.