Serbia's Student List Projected to Take 140 Seats as Vucic Concedes

Aleksandar Vucic admitted defeat on Sunday after exit polls showed his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) would secure only 105 of the 250 seats in the national assembly. The student-led list, which has led protests against the president for nearly two years, is projected to win between 135 and 140 seats. Speaking to supporters, Vucic stated, "It is clear that we have lost these elections."

The political shift follows a period of intense social unrest that began in November 2024. The movement was sparked after 16 people died when a train station canopy collapsed in Novi Sad. What started as a youth-led protest against infrastructure failures expanded into a wider campaign against corruption and the depoliticization of public institutions. Ilija Srdanovic, a professor at the Faculty of Medicine in Novi Sad, led the campaign for the Student List platform.

Vucic, who has shaped Serbian political life since the early 1990s, characterized the demonstrators as "blockaders" who sought to destabilize the country. He had resigned from his presidential post in September 2026 and called for early elections under pressure from the crowds, which included professors, doctors, and workers. His decision came after his term was scheduled to run until 2027. Journalist Safeta Bisevac noted that while Vucic fulfilled few promises, he established near-complete control over the state apparatus.

The election results reflect a complex legacy of economic growth and institutional change under Vucic's leadership. Official data indicates that unemployment dropped from 26 percent to between 8 and 9 percent, while nominal GDP nearly tripled to approximately 90 billion euros. Foreign direct investment rose from 800 million euros in 2012 to a record 5.2 billion euros in 2024. However, critics argue that higher wages did not translate into a matching improvement in living standards, with public debt and the cost of living remaining central issues.

Political scientist Dusko Radosavljevic described the student movement as a vehicle for "justified anger of citizens." He characterized the previous decade as a period of "systematic pressure and the destruction of social institutions," noting that intelligence services focused heavily on monitoring political opponents. Vucic's path to power began in 1993 when he joined the ultranationalist Serbian Radical Party. He later co-founded the SNS in 2008 with Tomislav Nikolic to position the party closer to mainstream European politics. The party took power in 2012, promising to combat corruption and organized crime.