Europeupdated 56m ago2 min read
Archive photoAleksandar Vucic Concedes Defeat As Student List Wins Serbia Parliamentary Election
“though he blamed Serbia’s independent media, as well as alleged interference by unnamed European countries and an ‘American deep state,’ for the loss.”
“Vučić had spent two terms as president and could not seek a third term, so was leading his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) with the aim of returning to the post of prime minister, which he left in 2017.”
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Aleksandar Vucic conceded defeat in Serbia's snap parliamentary election. The Student List won a majority in the 250-seat parliament.
Serbia’s vote ends grip
Aleksandar Vucic conceded defeat in Serbia’s snap parliamentary election, telling supporters in Belgrade, "based on the stratified sample, it is clear that we have lost these elections," as the student-backed "Student List -- Students Win" was projected to win 52 percent of the vote. Vucic said the student-backed list would win between 135 and 140 of the 250 parliamentary seats, while his "Aleksandar Vucic -- United Serbia" coalition would have around 105, and he attributed the projected loss to foreign support for the protest movement.
Ilija Srdanovic, the Student List’s lead candidate, told BBC Serbian, "This will be a free state," as celebrations spread across Serbia after Vucic’s concession. Radomir Saicic, a University of Belgrade professor and member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, said, "Tonight the voice of the people is heard," while also urging supporters to celebrate peacefully and with dignity.
EU and student leaders
Ursula von der Leyen congratulated the Student List on its victory, writing on X, "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. Radomir Saicic told the BBC Serbian, "Tonight we celebrate victory, tomorrow we build the future," as crowds in Belgrade chanted "victory" and set off fireworks.
Serbia’s election commission indicated a record high turnout, and Al Jazeera said the State Election Commission reported that by 6pm (17:00 GMT) voter turnout reached 64.9 percent, the highest since the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1992. Al Jazeera reported that the Centre for Research, Transparency and Accountability recorded pressure on voters or election workers at almost a third of the 500 polling stations it monitored, and it also reported failures to protect ballot secrecy.
What comes next
Vucic said his party projects that the Students’ List would take between 135 and 140 seats while his SNS party would have around 105, and he told supporters, "The Students’ List has won," as he blamed independent media and alleged interference by unnamed European countries and an "American deep state" for the loss. The Student List campaigned on purging officials who broke rules cracking down on protesters, stopping party loyalists from leading public enterprises, and freeing the public broadcaster of political control, and it also promised to "free the country from tyranny," according to Ilija Srdanovic.
NBC News described police in anti-riot gear cordoned off an area in central Belgrade around the Republic Electoral Commission (RIK), while special police vehicles were seen near a Belgrade park where Vucic’s loyalists had been camping for over a year. The election followed protests triggered by the collapse of a train station canopy in Novi Sad that killed 16 people, and the BBC said the snap elections were called after two years of protests triggered by that deaths and were seen as emblematic of corruption and negligence.