Student-led list wins in Serbia, ending Vucic's long dominance

A student-led opposition movement has won Serbia's snap parliamentary election. The result ends the long political dominance of former president Aleksandar Vucic, according to the report.

Behind Sunday's victory were nearly two years of youth-led protests. The protests were triggered by the collapse of a railway station canopy in the city of Novi Sad in 2024, in which 16 people died.

Demonstrations that began by demanding accountability evolved into a wider political campaign against alleged corruption and the capture of democratic institutions.

In its electoral programme presented in September, the Student List placed fighting corruption and organised crime among its main priorities. The programme also pledged to raise living standards, boost employment, improve education, ensure media freedom and guarantee the independence of Serbia's institutions.

After declaring victory on Sunday, the movement also said it would work to improve relations with neighbouring countries, following a period of tension during Vucic's more than decade-long rule, the report noted.

The Republic Election Commission (RIK) announced on Monday that the Student List had won 52.54 percent of the vote, based on 8,077 processed polling stations out of 8,392. The United Serbia list, led by Vucic's Serbian Progressive Party, had secured 39.29 percent of ballots cast.

According to RIK data on Sunday, voter turnout stood at 68.78 percent, a record high in more than 30 years.

While the final result is not yet known, the figures mean the Student List will be able to form a majority on its own in Serbia's 250-seat parliament. The bloc is projected to win 140 seats, well ahead of the 126 required for a majority, while United Serbia is expected to have 103.

The remaining seats are set to go to the Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians with three, the Albanian political bloc with two, and the Rasim Ljajic-Ljudski and SDA Sandzak lists with one each.

Unlike United Serbia, which named Vucic as its candidate for prime minister before the election, the Student List made no such announcement during the campaign. Since its formal creation, the list has avoided highlighting single candidates, emphasising the collective nature of a movement that brought together academics, doctors and workers.

During the campaign the movement was led by Ilija Srdanovic, a professor at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Novi Sad. The cardiologist is now seen as the most likely candidate to become the next prime minister, but it remains unclear who will take over key ministries including internal affairs, finance and justice.

The new National Assembly must be established within 30 days of the final results being announced. A government must be formed within 90 days after that, but the Student List's clear majority removes the need for lengthy coalition talks.

Vucic had dominated Serbia's politics since 2014, first as prime minister and then as president. Following his call for a snap parliamentary vote last month and his resignation as president, the post has been held temporarily by Ana Brnabic, the president of the National Assembly.

Vucic resigned on 27 September, so an extraordinary presidential election must be held no later than 27 December. Serbia's president is elected directly by citizens, not by assembly representatives, but the post is largely ceremonial.