Europeupdated 49m ago3 min read
Archive photo · 7 August 2021Ursula Von Der Leyen Congratulates Serbia’s Student List After 52.54% Vote
5 Other3 Western Mainstream1 Local Western1 Western AlternativePhoto: Petar Milošević, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cropped for layout
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Student List won a decisive lead with about 53% of votes and ~135–140 seats. Aleksandar Vučić conceded defeat, ending his 14-year rule.
EU congratulates Serbia
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen congratulated Serbia’s Student List and said, “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,” after preliminary results showed the opposition taking 52.54 per cent of the vote.
European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos told Serbia, “Dear Serbia, you have made your voice heard! After nearly two years of protests for democracy, the rule of law and the fight against corruption, Serbians turned out in historic numbers. Congratulations to the Student List on your victory!” as she described the result as a turning point.
Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset welcomed Aleksandar Vucic’s acceptance of the election result and hailed the student movement “perseverance, energy and commitment to European principles and Serbia’s future”.
Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said he expected “better relations” with Serbia after the election and told reporters in Zagreb that he had congratulated Ilija Srdanovic, the lead candidate of the Student List.
Montenegrin Prime Minister Milojko Spajic expressed hope that the change of government would be “a turning point in relations between Montenegro and Serbia,” while Montenegrin President Jakov Milatovic said the result could open “a new chapter” based on “friendship, sincere dialogue and commitment to a shared European future.”
Accession, but with strings
European leaders framed Serbia’s election win as a restart for EU accession while attaching conditions tied to rule-of-law reform, sanctions on Russia, and Kosovo.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote, “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,” as the EU said membership now hinges on those areas.
Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos linked the result to protests and said, “A new chapter can begin for Serbia. The doors of the European Union are open,” while the same account said Brussels also demanded sanctions on Russia and Kosovo normalization.
Aleksandar Vucic told supporters in Belgrade, “We still do not have final results,” and he added that, on the basis of a sample, “it is clear that we have lost these elections, the Student List has won, they will have between 135 and 140 seats and we will have 105.”
CRTA monitoring group Raša Nedeljkov said, “A large number of irregularities continue to be recorded, while violent incidents outside polling stations are also becoming increasingly frequent,” as Brussels was expected to seek an electoral-law overhaul aligned with OSCE/ODIHR recommendations.
What changes for Europe
EU Reporter said international observers highlighted shortcomings in the electoral process, and OSCE special co-ordinator Gilles Baum described the vote as taking place in an “atmosphere of profound polarization”.
EU Reporter also quoted Bojana Zorić, an analyst at the European Union Institute for Security Studies, noting that the student movement had declared its opposition to sanctions against Moscow in September 2026 and that “Significant shifts in Serbia’s position on Kosovo, sanctions against Russia or its strategic ties with China appear unlikely in the near term,” even as she urged Brussels to “seize this opportunity to support Serbia’s democratic transition and build a more durable partnership.”
Euronews reported that MEP Matjaž Nemec (Slovenia/S&D) told the outlet, “We are at the very beginning of the new path. But at least it’s a new path. We have no guarantees of anything. There’s just one guarantee that now we have the possibility, we have hope. And this is a huge achievement,” as he assessed the election’s meaning.
Euronews also quoted University of Belgrade senior research associate Jelena Vasiljević saying, “Now I hope we will be able to have an open, democratic discussion on the EU accession path,” while it quoted an EU diplomat warning, “It is not exactly clear what their take on foreign policy is. Many EU countries will be watching very closely.”
The European Union Institute for Security Studies said the student-backed list’s immediate challenge would be to translate protest momentum into institutional reform, while it warned that “significant shifts” on Kosovo, sanctions on Russia, or ties with China were not expected in the near term.