Aleksandar Vucic, the former president of Serbia and prime ministerial candidate for the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), conceded defeat on Sunday, October 25, 2026, in a snap parliamentary election. Preliminary results indicated that the Student List, a movement backed by youth and university students, won the majority of seats in the 250-member parliament. Vucic announced his party's loss at a campaign event in Belgrade approximately 90 minutes after polls closed.
The election followed two years of protests triggered by the November 2024 collapse of a concrete canopy at the Novi Sad railway station, which resulted in 16 deaths. Demonstrators attributed the tragedy to government corruption and graft. Vucic, who had served as president for two near-full terms, resigned that office last month to lead the SNS campaign. During the race, he characterized the student movement as a foreign-led effort to unseat him and cited alleged interference by European countries and U.S. interests.
According to projections provided by Vucic and pollsters CeSID-Ipsos, the Student List is expected to secure between 135 and 140 seats, while the SNS party is projected to hold between 104 and 105 seats. Remaining seats are expected to be held by ethnic minority parties. Vucic reported that the Student List received approximately 2.2 million votes, compared to 1.7 million for the SNS. The election saw a turnout of approximately 67.6% to 70%, which monitors noted as the highest participation rate in Serbia since the 1992 breakup of Yugoslavia.
The scale of the shift is represented by the transfer of parliamentary control to a movement whose candidates include academics, farmers, and athletes rather than established politicians. This outcome may influence Serbia’s standing as a candidate for European Union membership, as the EU had been monitoring the vote following reports of media control and surveillance of activists. The result also establishes a precedent for youth-led political movements in the region, drawing parallels to recent electoral changes in neighboring Hungary.
In the immediate term, residents in Belgrade and other cities observed celebratory gatherings following the announcement. However, independent monitors, including CRTA, reported irregularities such as vote-buying and voter pressure during the balloting process. The new parliament will be responsible for forming a government and selecting the next prime minister. While Vucic has conceded based on preliminary data, the final official seat counts and the formal start date for the new legislative session have not yet been reported.