Student-led movement defeats Aleksandar Vučić in Serbia's parliamentary election

In Serbia's October 25, 2026 snap election, the grassroots Student List defeated long-serving leader Aleksandar Vučić, securing an estimated 135 to 140 seats in the 250-seat parliament. Sparked by a November 2024 station canopy collapse in Novi Sad that killed 16 people, the student-led anti-corruption movement mobilized massive voter turnout near 68 percent. Vučić conceded defeat late Sunday, while EU leaders expressed support for Serbia's democratic reforms and EU accession path.

Election results and voter turnout

• ▪Voter turnout in the October 25, 2026 Serbian parliamentary election reached 67.6%, marking the country's highest election participation rate since the 1990s
• ▪Electoral monitoring group CRTA reported that the Student List secured 51.47 percent of the vote compared to 40.42 percent for Aleksandar Vučić's ruling coalition in the October 25, 2026 parliamentary election
• ▪In Serbia's snap election, the opposition Student List won between 135 and 140 seats in the 250-seat parliament, defeating former President Aleksandar Vučić's ruling Serbian Progressive Party

Aleksandar Vučić resigns and concedes

• ▪Aleksandar Vučić publicly conceded defeat at his party headquarters late, acknowledging that the Student List had won the Serbian parliamentary election
• ▪During his October 25, 2026 concession speech, Aleksandar Vučić claimed that European nations and elements in the United States government supported a revolution to unseat his government
• ▪Amid mounting student-led protests and domestic political pressure, Aleksandar Vučić resigned the Serbian presidency in September 2026 to call a snap parliamentary election

Post-election street celebrations in Belgrade

• ▪During election night celebrations in central Belgrade, crowds dismantled metal fences around Ćaciland, a pro-Vučić tent camp established 18 months prior outside the Serbian parliament
• ▪Following news of Aleksandar Vučić's concession of defeat in Serbia's parliamentary election, thousands of citizens celebrated in the streets of Belgrade with fireworks, chanting, and honking car horns

International reaction to election results

• ▪European Union leaders Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa praised the outcome of Serbia's October 25, 2026 parliamentary election and expressed readiness to support rule-of-law reforms and advance Serbia's EU membership path
• ▪U.S. lawmakers and analysts noted that the Student List's victory in Serbia's October 25, 2026 parliamentary election weakens the strategic influence of Moscow and Beijing in Serbia, where Aleksandar Vučić had maintained close ties with Russia and China

Student List candidate slate

• ▪Serbia's Student List fielded a slate of 250 non-politician candidates—including academics, artists, and athletes—to contest all seats in the Serbian parliament on October 25, 2026
• ▪No actual students were included among the candidates on Serbia's Student List's 250-seat parliamentary slate

Novi Sad station disaster and protests

• ▪The collapse of a concrete canopy at the Novi Sad railway station killed 16 people in northern Serbia
• ▪Public anger surrounding the November 2024 Novi Sad railway station canopy collapse focused on allegations that government corruption and shoddy construction work by Chinese contractors caused the deadly failure
• ▪Anti-government demonstrations led by the Serbian student movement culminated in a final pre-election rally in Belgrade that drew approximately 150,000 participants
• ▪Following the November 2024 Novi Sad railway station canopy collapse disaster, student groups spearheaded nearly two years of anti-government protests across Serbia demanding accountability, anti-corruption measures, and media freedom