Student List Topples Serbia’s Long-time Leader

On October 25, Serbian president and prime-ministerial candidate Aleksandar Vucic conceded defeat after preliminary results showed the grassroots “Student List” winning a clear parliamentary majority. Vucic said the Student List would secure between 135 and 140 of the 250 seats, leaving his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) with roughly 105 seats. The snap parliamentary election, called by Vucic in September, ended his more than a decade of dominant rule.

Serbian student-led movement ousts Vucic in major election upset The IndependentDemocracy NowFormer Serbian President Ousted by Youth Movement BBC NewsFrance 24Student-backed movement ousts Vucic in Serbia’s historic election victory Reuters

The movement arose after the November 1 2024 collapse of a canopy at Novi Sad railway station, which killed 16 people and sparked student-led protests against corruption. On September 9 2026, the coalition registered as the “Student List,” fielding 250 independent candidates from academia, medicine, the arts and agriculture. Its platform emphasized anti-corruption, judicial independence and media freedom as a “European” alternative to Vucic’s nationalist-leaning governance.

Bloomberg

• Vote share: reported between 52 % and 53 % (52.54 % in some outlets).

Serbia's Student List ends Vucic's decade-long rule with historic election victory

• Seats projected: 138–140 for the Student List; SNS projected at 104–105.

The Independent

• Voter turnout: figures range from 64.9 % to nearly 70 %.

Serbia's Student List ends Vucic's decade-long rule with historic election victory

• Candidate composition: 250 candidates, none previously holding high-level political office; top candidate Ilija Srdanovic, a 56-year-old cardiologist.

Reuters

• Vucic’s concession: “It is clear that we have lost these elections, the Student List has won.”

Serbian student-led movement ousts Vucic in major election upset

• Student List leadership: Ilija Srdanovic expressed hope for a democratic atmosphere and a peaceful transition.

UsNews and World Report

• Vucic accused the movement of foreign financing in Croatia and Montenegro; the Student List rejected the charge.

Serbia’s Vucic concedes defeat in historic election win for student protest movement

• The movement stresses a leaderless, horizontal structure to avoid arrests and maintain civic solidarity.

Aleksandar Vucic Concedes Defeat to Student List in Historic Election

• Turnout figures differ across outlets (64.9 % vs 67.6 % vs 68.78 %).

France 24

• Vote-share percentages vary between 52 % and 53 %, and seat projections range from 138 to 140.

Serbia's Student List ends Vucic's decade-long rule with historic election victory

• No official list of the future prime minister has been announced, leaving the cabinet composition uncertain.

Serbian Student Movement Ousts Vucic After 12 Years in Power

• International observers noted isolated incidents of ballot photography and vote-buying, but overall election integrity was deemed upheld.

Serbian student-led movement ousts Vucic in major election upset

• “Dear Serbia, tonight the voice of the people is being heard,” — Radomir Sajcic, Belgrade university professor

The Guardian

• “The people have won! The people defeated a dictator! The people will lead Serbia!” — Nebojsa Cosic

Reuters

• “You can have a movement without a name to topple an autocrat, but you cannot run a country that way,” — Florian Bieber, professor of Southeast European studies, University of Graz

Bloomberg

The Student List must select a prime minister and form a cabinet within the constitutionally mandated 90-day period. EU officials have pledged technical assistance for judicial reforms and acceleration of Serbia’s accession talks. The movement now faces the challenge of translating its decentralized protest model into effective governance while navigating Serbia’s balance with Russia, China and the European Union.

Serbia's Student List ends Vucic's decade-long rule with historic election victory