Vučić concedes as student protest list wins Serbia's snap election
Aleksandar Vučić, who has dominated Serbian politics since 2014, conceded Sunday's snap election to the Student List, a slate born of protests after a railway station canopy collapsed in Novi Sad in 2024, killing 16. A preliminary count gave the Student List about 52.5% to about 39.3% for Vučić's list, on the highest turnout since 1992, Reuters reported. Who the students will put forward as prime minister is not yet clear.
AI-assisted · US Brief desk · Sources listed below
What happened
"It is clear that we have lost these elections, the Student List has won," Aleksandar Vučić said in a televised speech Sunday night, Reuters reported. Vučić, a populist and nationalist, had resigned from his second term as president to run again for prime minister. Based on preliminary results, he said the Student List would hold 135 to 140 of parliament's 250 seats and his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) 105. Tens of thousands of people celebrated in Belgrade's streets.
Why it matters
Serbia, a country of about 6 million, is a candidate to join the European Union. Like Vučić, a new government will have to balance China, a major investor; Russia, a traditional ally and main gas supplier; and the EU, Serbia's largest trading partner. Reuters compared the result to the April defeat of Hungary's Viktor Orbán.
More context
The count: With 8,077 polling stations processed, the Republic Electoral Commission's preliminary figures gave the Student List 2,211,400 votes (52.54%) and "Aleksandar Vučić – United Serbia" 1,653,868 (39.29%), Telegraf reported. Ivica Dačić's list had 2.18%. Pollsters and the commission put turnout close to 70%, which Reuters said was the highest since 1992.
How it got here: Nov. 1, 2024 — a concrete canopy at the renovated Novi Sad railway station collapsed, killing 16 people. The deaths set off student-led demonstrations against what protesters called corruption and creeping authoritarianism; they became Serbia's biggest in a generation. September 2026 — after almost two years of protests, Vučić called snap elections. Oct. 25 — the Student List won.
The winners: The list of 250 largely unknown candidates, including university professors, actors and farmers, is led by cardiologist Ilija Srdanović, but it is unclear who will be prime minister, Reuters reported. "Tonight we celebrate victory, tomorrow we build the future," said Radomir Sajčić, a Belgrade University professor speaking for the students. Dejan Šoškić, a former central bank governor on the list, called for order and calm.
Vučić's side: Vučić and the SNS have repeatedly denied accusations of repression, corruption and spying on opponents, and Vučić has said the students are funded by foreign agents in Croatia and Montenegro, a charge the students dismiss. Supporters credit him with modernizing the economy and building highways, railways, schools and hospitals, Reuters reported. "We are used to being in the opposition," he said.
Reactions: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote, "We stand ready to...work together to advance Serbia's future in the European Union." Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar also pledged support, Reuters reported.
What's still unknown: Final certified results and seat totals, who will lead the government, and how a slate with no governing record will act. "The biggest uncertainty is...who is going to lead the government, who will be the key ministers, and how they will operate based on the promises they made," Warsaw-based election consultant Radivoje Grujić told Reuters.
4 listed sources
- Reuters (via Investing.com), Oct. 26, 2026
- Telegraf (RIK preliminary results), Oct. 26, 2026
- AP, Oct. 25, 2026
- The Guardian (live), Oct. 25, 2026
References listed by US Brief; a source count is not a verification score.
Editorial sourcing notes
Published Monday morning, Oct. 26. Vote shares are the Republic Electoral Commission's (RIK) preliminary figures as reported by Telegraf; final results and seat totals have not been certified. Seat estimates are Vučić's own.
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