The student-backed Student List won a decisive majority in Serbia’s October 25 early parliamentary election, and Aleksandar Vučić conceded defeat, ending his Serbian Progressive Party’s 14-year hold on power.
Preliminary results that Serbia’s electoral commission released on Monday showed the Student List with 52.65% of the vote and Vučić’s United Serbia list with 39.22%, based on returns from 8,135 polling stations. Vučić said the Student List was on course to win 135 to 140 seats in the 250-seat parliament, comfortably more than the 126 needed for a majority. He said his side would take about 105 seats.
The result follows nearly two years of student-led protests that began after a railway-station canopy collapsed in Novi Sad in 2024. The collapse killed 16 people and fueled public anger over alleged corruption and whether the government was being held responsible. Vučić had dominated Serbian politics as president or prime minister since 2014.
He called the early election after the demonstrations. He stepped down as president before the campaign and sought to return as prime minister. Nearly 68.8% of voters cast ballots, according to the commission’s preliminary figures.
After Vučić acknowledged the loss, supporters celebrated in Belgrade and other cities. European leaders congratulated the Student List and voiced support for Serbia’s European future.