Serbia’s student movement wins historic election victory

A student-backed movement has won Serbia’s parliamentary election, defeating the camp of former president Aleksandar Vučić, who conceded defeat on Sunday.

People celebrate at the Student List’s headquarters in Belgrade after Sunday’s parliamentary election.

Photo: EPA/ANDREJ CUKIC

The "Student List – Students Win" took 52.9 percent of the vote, which would give it 140 seats in the 250-seat parliament, according to final projections by CeSID, an election-monitoring group, and the Ipsos agency.

Vučić’s "United Serbia" list, with the former president as its candidate for prime minister, won 38.8 percent and 103 seats.

Crowds poured onto the streets of Belgrade to celebrate after Vučić conceded defeat.

🎉🎉 Serbia celebrates Vučić's defeat all night — now he's warning the country about sanctions against Russia After 14 years of Aleksandar Vučić's political dominance, his bloc has lost the snap parliamentary elections. The opposition Student List, which emerged from mass anti-government protests, has claimed victory. According to preliminary figures from Ipsos and CeSID, the students secured around 53% of the vote, while Vučić's coalition received approximately 39%. The former president acknowledged defeat. He estimated that the winners could secure 135–140 seats in Serbia's 250-member parliament. But he couldn't resist issuing a warning about Russia. Vučić claimed the new government could impose sanctions on Moscow as early as March or April. Meanwhile, Belgrade and other Serbian cities celebrated the student movement's victory throughout the night, with car horns, singing, and crowds cheering in the streets. Final election results are still pending.

— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) October 26, 2026

The movement grew out of almost two years of protests after the collapse of a canopy at Novi Sad railway station, which killed 16 people.

It has promised to fight corruption, protect the independence of courts and prosecutors, make public spending more transparent, reform education and healthcare, support young families and lower the cost of living.

European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen congratulated the winners, saying the EU was ready to support reforms on the rule of law, media freedom and the fight against corruption.

Today, the people of Serbia turned out in record numbers to shape their country’s future. Congratulations to the Student List on its victory in the parliamentary elections. We stand ready to support reforms on the rule of law, media freedom, the fight against corruption and strong democratic institutions, and to work together to advance Serbia’s future in the European Union. @eucopresident

— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) October 25, 2026

EU enlargement commissioner Marta Kos said a new chapter could open for Serbia, while Hungary’s Prime Minister Péter Magyar and Montenegrin leaders also sent congratulations.

However, the result does not mean a sharp break in every area.

The group do not support recognising Kosovo’s independence and oppose sanctions on Russia, positions close to those of the outgoing authorities.

The movement is also divided on closer integration with the EU.

(ał)

Source: PAP, IAR