Student-Led Movement Ousts Aleksandar Vucic in Serbian Election

The Student List, a civic platform of academics and professionals, won a decisive victory in Serbia's snap parliamentary elections on October 25, 2026. Preliminary results indicate the movement secured between 52.5% and 52.9% of the vote, granting them a clear majority of 135 to 140 seats in the 250-member National Assembly. The result ends the 14-year political dominance of Aleksandar Vucic and the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), which is projected to hold approximately 103 to 105 seats.

The election followed nearly two years of mass protests under the slogan 'Corruption Kills,' triggered by a November 2024 railway station canopy collapse in Novi Sad that killed 16 people. The movement campaigned on rooting out systemic corruption, restoring judicial independence, and reviving the stalled EU accession process. Voter turnout reached nearly 70%, the highest since 1992, though independent monitors reported irregularities including vote buying and voter intimidation.

Aleksandar Vucic, who resigned as president in September to campaign for prime minister, conceded defeat but alleged the result was a "revolution" supported by an "American deep state" and unnamed European countries. In Belgrade, victory celebrations were marred by a verbal confrontation between acting president Ana Brnabic and crowds. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the European Union pledged support for democratic reforms to advance Serbia's EU future. Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated Russia intends to maintain bilateral ties with Belgrade despite the leadership change.