Serbian voters elect student-led bloc to end Vucic's rule

President Aleksandar Vucic conceded defeat in Sunday's snap parliamentary elections, acknowledging that his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) lost to a student-led opposition bloc. Exit polls indicate the SNS will secure 105 seats in the 250-member assembly. The Student List is projected to capture between 135 and 140 seats, granting it a decisive majority. Voter turnout reached its highest level in over 30 years.

The political shift follows nearly two years of mass protests against Vucic. The movement originated on November 1, 2024, when a train station canopy collapsed in Novi Sad, killing 16 people. What began as a demand for accountability expanded into a wide-ranging social unrest campaign. Participants included university professors, doctors, and factory workers. Ilija Srdanovic, a medical professor in Novi Sad, led the group's transition into a formal political platform called the Student List. The platform pledged to combat corruption, depoliticize state institutions, and restore civil rights.

Vucic addressed his supporters after the vote, stating, "It is clear that we have lost these elections." During the campaign, he frequently referred to the demonstrators as "blockaders." He accused them of attempting to destabilize the country. The election concluded a period of intense political tension that began when Vucic resigned from the presidency in September to call for early votes. His term was originally scheduled to run until 2027.

Vucic, born in Belgrade in 1970, entered politics in 1993 as a member of the ultranationalist Serbian Radical Party. He was a contemporary of Vojislav Seselj, who later received a 10-year prison sentence for crimes against non-Serbs during the Balkan wars. In a speech to parliament in July 1995, Vucic said, "Kill one Serb, and we will kill 100 Muslims." Seselj's son, Aleksandar, appeared on Vucic's electoral list for this cycle. Vucic and Tomislav Nikolic founded the SNS in 2008 to steer the party toward mainstream European politics. Journalist Safeta Bisevac described Vucic as the "essentially the organiser" of the new party, noting he was initially less popular than his co-founder.

The SNS took power in 2012 on a promise to fight corruption and organized crime. Bisevac said the party's early results were modest, but the government expanded its control over media and state institutions. Vucic served as first deputy prime minister from 2012 to 2014, then as prime minister. He became president in 2017 and won re-election in 2022. Bisevac noted that Vucic made many promises but fulfilled few, establishing near-total control over the state apparatus.

Economic metrics improved during Vucic's tenure. Official data show unemployment dropped from 26 percent to between 8 and 9 percent. Nominal GDP nearly tripled to approximately 90 billion euros. Foreign direct investment rose from about 800 million euros in 2012 to a record 5.2 billion euros in 2024. The government also constructed a network of modern motorways. However, critics argue that higher wages did not match the rise in the cost of living. Public debt remains a central point of debate regarding his legacy.

Political scientist Dusko Radosavljevic said the students "simply gave a voice to the justified anger of citizens." He characterized the previous decade as a period of "systematic pressure and the destruction of social institutions." Radosavljevic added that intelligence services spent significant time monitoring political opponents while critical analysis was pushed out of public media.

The Student List now holds a majority in the new parliament. The bloc must form a government and address the economic and institutional challenges left by the previous administration. Vucic remains a prominent figure in Serbian politics despite losing the presidency and his parliamentary majority. The next session of the assembly will determine the structure of the new cabinet.