Student List Wins Parliamentary Majority in Historic Serbia Vote

In a political earthquake that reshapes the Western Balkans, the Student List wins parliamentary majority in Serbia's snap election, clearing the threshold needed to govern the 250-seat National Assembly.

Speaking live from his party headquarters in Belgrade late Sunday evening, President Aleksandar Vučić conceded defeat before the nation. He acknowledged that the student-led movement captured between 135 and 140 seats, compared to approximately 105 for his ruling coalition.

The decisive outcome ends Vučić’s 14-year grip on Serbian politics, which began when the Serbian Progressive Party took power in 2012 and saw him serve successively as prime minister and president.

From Novi Sad Tragedy to National Ballot Box The unprecedented movement was born from deep public grief and outrage following the November 2024 collapse of a concrete railway station canopy in Novi Sad, which killed 16 people.

The disaster became an enduring national symbol of state negligence, unchecked construction contracts, and institutional corruption.

Over the next two years, university students organized sustained blockades, rallies, and civic resistance across Belgrade, Niš, and Novi Sad. The youth-led campaign soon expanded into a broad-based civic coalition, recruiting prominent university professors, medical professionals, researchers, and civil society advocates to run on its legislative slate.

Surging voter participation proved decisive on Sunday. The Republic Electoral Commission reported turnout topping 64.9 percent by early evening, with independent observers noting final engagement approaching 68 percent—the highest recorded turnout in Serbia in decades.

Spontaneous Celebrations and Pledges of Reform As Vučić’s concession speech aired, tens of thousands of citizens flooded into the streets of Belgrade and regional cities. Crowds danced along central boulevards, waved national flags, honked horns, and set off celebratory fireworks while chanting "Serbia is free."

Ilija Srdanović, the leading candidate on the Student List, addressed jubilant supporters in Belgrade, pledging immediate governance reforms focused on democratic accountability.

"Tomorrow, we begin working to build a state governed by the rule of law," Srdanović said. "We showed that change is possible when there is the will to make it happen. We want to build a country together where everyone has the right to truth, a voice, and a future."

Radomir Saičić, a University of Belgrade professor and parliamentary candidate on the slate, described the victory as a testament to the resilience of ordinary citizens who refused to surrender to despair, framing it as the dawn of an era founded on justice and human dignity.

International Reaction and European Integration The unexpected political transformation reverberated across European capitals on Monday morning.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa issued statements congratulating the Student List on its victory. Both EU leaders commended the Serbian electorate for turning out in record numbers to shape their nation's democratic trajectory.

The European leaders reaffirmed the bloc’s readiness to actively support institutional reforms, media independence, anti-corruption initiatives, and Serbia’s path toward European Union membership.

The newly elected legislative majority now faces the complex task of forming a cabinet, dismantling entrenched patronage networks, and delivering on promises of institutional transparency.