Serbia's long-standing leader concedes defeat to student-led protest movement

Serbia's strongman leader Aleksandar Vucic has conceded defeat to a student-led movement in a result that represents a seismic political shift in the Balkans nation. High turnout and gathering tensions marked a highly contested parliamentary election on Sunday.Although there were 18 parties hoping to enter the 250-member Parliament, the contest ultimately boiled down to a referendum between Vucic's right-wing Serbian Progressive Party and the Students' List.The latter is a group of 250 academics, professionals and public figures selected by university students who have led protests against Vucic for almost two years - headed by cardiologist Ilija Srdanovic. The youth-backed Students' List emerged triumphant among Serbia's 6.4 million voters as Vucic conceded defeat on Sunday.Vucic, who had been endorsed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and who denounced the student movement as a foreign-led attempt to unseat him, led with virtually absolute power for 14 years.'The Students' List has won,' Vucic told supporters at his party's election night event, though he blamed Serbia's independent media as well as alleged interference by unnamed European countries and an 'American deep state' for the loss.Vucic said that his SNS party won around 1.7 million votes compared to the Students' List, which he said took around 2.2 million. Ilija Srdanovic (centre), the main candidate on the student-backed electoral list, celebrates the Students' List's victory in the Serbian parliamentary elections on October 25, 2026 Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) prime ministerial candidate Aleksandar Vucic concedes defeat during a press conference at the party headquarters in Belgrade, Serbia, on October 25 2026 Supporters of the 'Student List' bloc celebrate following the first results of the parliamentary election, in downtown Belgrade, Serbia, October 25, 2026Supporters of the Students' List immediately flooded onto the streets of Belgrade and other cities, honking horns, shouting and chanting 'Aleksandar is gone,' referring to Vucic. The outcome, which Vucic announced only around an hour and a half after polls closed, came after tensions had built as voting progressed during the day.Police in anti-riot gear cordoned off an area in central Belgrade around the election commission headquarters. Special police vehicles could be seen near a Belgrade park where Vucic's loyalists have been camping for over a year, and large groups of black-clad men had congregated at various points throughout the city.Vucic was seeking to become Serbia's prime minister after serving two near-full terms as president. He resigned the presidency last month to lead the campaign.Support for the populist had eroded since 16 people were killed in 2024 when a concrete canopy collapsed at a train station in Novi Sad. That set off a wave of youth protests that blamed the collapse on high-level corruption, cronyism and rampant graft during renovation work at the station.Despite the protests, Vucic retained considerable support among many of Serbia's voters. Admirers viewed him as a capable leader who can steer the nation through global uncertainties — the image that was carefully crafted by the mainstream media.While the increasingly authoritarian Vucic has routinely outplayed Serbia's fractured opposition in the past, the leaderless youth movement proved to be a tough opponent that rattled his firm grip on power in Serbia like no one else in the 14 years since his party took office.The newly formed Students' List movement was shaped by university students but none actually appeared on the election list. Instead, its candidates are little-known experts, athletes, farmers and artists.This approach was meant to counter Vucic's one-man rule and restore a sense of community and solidarity. The students' message during the campaign focused on a non-partisan effort to rebuild Serbia's economy and restore its democracy. People celebrate in the Serbian capital Belgrade after Aleksandar Vucic, leader of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS, conceded defeat in the parliamentary election on October 25, 2026 Aleksandar Vucic (far left), leader of the right-wing Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), concedes defeat in the parliamentary election in Serbia on October 25, 2026The students have used youthful energy to attract voters who are disillusioned with local politicians. Vilified by pro-government media, they cycled and walked through the country to reach voters in rural areas — Vucic's traditional strongholds.The student victory echoed the recent electoral defeat of a Vucic ally in Hungary, where youth participation helped oust the autocratic Viktor Orbán after 16 years and bring in a new pro-European government. It was likely to resonate beyond Serbia as countries across Europe have faced angry youth and student protests.Monitors predicted that total turnout in the election could reach around 70%, unseen in Serbia since 2000. During the day, long queues formed at polling stations in Serbia and in cities around the world. Some in the Serbian diaspora were made to vote in the middle of the night after authorities tied voting hours to local Serbian time.Recent Serbian elections had been marred by irregularities and the EU was closely watching the conduct of Sunday's vote in a candidate nation for the bloc's membership.Independent election monitors reported dozens of cases of irregularities on Sunday such as photographing of ballots that suggested pressure on voters and attempted vote buying.Both international and local election monitors had expressed concern about the safety and fairness of an election campaign marked by detentions, near-total government control over the media and reports of surveillance and cyberattacks against activists.Local elections earlier this year in 10 municipalities in Serbia saw violent attacks on journalists and activists. The previous parliamentary vote in 2023 was followed by opposition protests alleging fraud.This is a breaking story, more to follow