BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbia’s longtime strongman Aleksandar Vucic conceded defeat Sunday in an election that pitted him and his right-wing party against a diverse, student-led opposition movement that has spent two years protesting his government.
It was a seismic political shift in the Balkan country where Vucic, who had been backed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and had denounced the student movement as a foreign attempt to overthrow him, ruled with virtually absolute power for 14 years.
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Almost immediately, crowds filled the streets of the capital Belgrade and other Serbian cities in a fit of euphoric celebration.
Belgrade resident Dragana Kovacevic was delighted that “everyone greeted with a smile.” She said: “We are all so happy, we are finally becoming a normal and free country.”
Maja Stetic said she felt “fantastic”. Vucic’s exclusion, she said, “means liberation for me, means a new future for us and our children.”
High turnout and tensions marked the hotly contested legislative election, which was a clash between Vucic and his right-wing Serbian Progressive Party and university students who, accusing the government of corruption and dismantling democracy, had built a popular following across the country.
Serbia’s 6.4 million voters elected lawmakers in the 250-member parliament. In conceding the election, Vucic said his party predicted its opponents, the youth-backed Student List, would win between 135 and 140 seats, while his SNS party would have around 105.
“The Student List won,” Vucic told supporters at his party’s election night, while blaming independent Serbian media as well as alleged interference from unnamed European countries and an “American deep state” for the defeat.
Belgrade bursts with joy
Vucic said his party, the SNS, won about 1.7 million votes, compared to 2.2 million for the Student List.
Student List supporters drove around Belgrade, honking, singing, shouting and chanting: “Aleksandar is gone,” referring to Vucic. The crowd quickly dismantled fences and tents at a park in central Belgrade where Vucic loyalists had camped for more than a year and had gathered earlier on Sunday. A tent was then set on fire in the now abandoned camp.
The result, which Vucic announced only about an hour and a half after polling closed, came after tensions grew as voting progressed through the day.
Police in riot gear had cordoned off an area of central Belgrade around the electoral commission headquarters. Special police vehicles were visible near the pro-Vucic camp, and large groups of men dressed in black had gathered at various points in the city.
Anti-corruption protests bring down Vucic
Ilija Srdanovic, first on the electoral list “Student List – Students Win”, celebrates the first results of the parliamentary elections in Belgrade, Serbia, October 25, 2026. Photo by Djordje Kojadinovic/Reuters
Vucic was seeking to become prime minister of Serbia after serving two almost full terms as president. He resigned from the presidency last month to lead the campaign.
Support for the populist has eroded since 16 people were killed in 2024 when a concrete canopy collapsed at a Novi Sad train station. This sparked a wave of protests by young people who blamed high-level corruption, cronyism and rampant bribery during the station’s renovation work for the collapse.
Dijana Hrka, the mother of one of the victims, was part of the celebrating crowd in Belgrade. Sobbing, Hrka told N1 television: “I have been waiting for this moment for two years.”
“Now I hope they will all be held accountable,” she said.
Despite the protests, Vucic retained considerable support among many Serbian voters. Admirers saw him as a capable leader, capable of steering the nation through global uncertainties – an image carefully crafted by the mainstream media.
The student movement campaigns to rebuild democracy
While the increasingly authoritarian Vucic has regularly dominated Serbia’s divided opposition in the past, the leaderless youth movement has proven to be a tough opponent that has shaken his firm grip on power in Serbia like no other in the 14 years since his party took power.
The new Student List movement was shaped by university students, but none were actually on the electoral roll. Its candidates tend to be little-known experts, athletes, farmers and artists.
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This approach aimed to counteract Vucic’s one-man rule and restore a sense of community and solidarity. The students’ message during the campaign focused on a nonpartisan effort to rebuild Serbia’s economy and restore its democracy.
Students used their youthful energy to attract voters disillusioned with local politicians. Vilified by pro-government media, they traveled the country by bike and on foot to reach voters in rural areas – Vucic’s traditional strongholds.
The student victory echoes the recent electoral defeat of a Vucic ally in Hungary, where youth participation helped topple the autocratic Viktor Orbán after 16 years and install a new pro-European government. This is likely to resonate beyond Serbia, as countries across Europe face angry protests from youth and students.
The vote was closely watched in the EU
Observers predict that total voter turnout in the elections could reach around 70%, something not seen in Serbia since 2000. During the day, long queues formed at polling stations in Serbia and in cities around the world. Some members of the Serbian diaspora were forced to vote in the middle of the night after authorities linked voting times to local Serbian time.
Recent Serbian elections were marred by irregularities and the EU was closely monitoring Sunday’s vote in a country seeking membership in the bloc.
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Independent election observers on Sunday reported dozens of cases of irregularities, including photographs of ballots suggesting pressure on voters and attempts to buy votes.
International and local election observers have expressed concerns about the security and fairness of an election campaign marked by detentions, near-total government control of the media and reports of surveillance and cyberattacks on activists.
Local elections earlier this year in 10 municipalities across Serbia were marked by violent attacks on journalists and activists. The previous parliamentary vote, in 2023, was followed by opposition protests alleging fraud.
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