Serbia's student movement ousts longtime leader Vucic

Serbia's snap parliamentary election transferred governing power from Aleksandar Vucic's Serbian Progressive Party to the student-backed Students' List. Preliminary figures suggested the list could win 135 to 140 of Parliament's 250 seats. That would give it an outright majority and allow it to lead the government.

The change followed nearly two years of protests after the Novi Sad railway-station canopy collapsed in 2024, killing 16 people. Students turned demands for a transparent investigation into a broader campaign against corruption and eventually called for an early election. Vucic called the vote last month and resigned the presidency to run for prime minister.

Vucic conceded defeat less than two hours after polls closed. Supporters celebrated across Belgrade, while the movement's candidates described the result as a victory for justice, freedom and dignity. The article presents the seat figure as preliminary, so the final balance remained subject to official results.

The student-led movement is a broad protest campaign that spread across Serbia after the 2024 Novi Sad railway-station canopy collapse. Students initially demanded a transparent investigation into the deaths, but their platform expanded to fighting corruption, defending democratic standards and forcing an early parliamentary election.

The Students' List is the movement's election list, or group of candidates competing for Parliament. It included 250 candidates. Most were experts from areas such as academia and the arts, rather than experienced politicians. Students also organised rallies, marched through the country and recruited volunteers to monitor voting.

This structure let the movement convert public anger into seats and a possible governing majority. Its victory gives it an institutional route for pursuing its central pledge against corruption. It also creates a test: political novices must now turn a broad protest coalition into a functioning government and parliamentary programme.

Turnout was unusually high. Election officials reported that nearly 65 percent of Serbia's 6.4 million registered voters had cast ballots by 6pm, two hours before polls closed. The article says this surpassed the 1993 parliamentary election, when just over 61 percent voted, and marked the highest parliamentary-election turnout in more than three decades.

The Students' List's projected result was also substantial. Vucic said preliminary figures indicated that it could win between 135 and 140 seats in the 250-seat parliament. Even the lower figure would exceed the 126 seats needed for a simple majority.

A majority would give the list control of parliamentary decisions and a strong basis for forming a government. However, the article describes these numbers as preliminary. The final seat allocation would depend on official counting and the completed election process.

The Students' List's victory could redirect Serbia's political priorities toward corruption, media freedom, the rule of law and stronger democratic institutions. These issues matter because the movement grew from claims that corruption contributed to the Novi Sad tragedy and from opposition to the ruling party's political system.

The movement's platform centres on fighting corruption. Its candidates also campaigned after nearly two years of protests that challenged the Serbian Progressive Party's media machine. By controlling Parliament, the list could seek investigations, legal changes and institutional reforms, although the article does not specify which measures it would pass.

The result may also strengthen Serbia's engagement with the European Union. EU chief Ursula von der Leyen congratulated the list and offered support for reforms and Serbia's future in the EU. The election therefore creates an opportunity for closer cooperation, but the article does not say whether membership or any specific reform is guaranteed.

The Novi Sad railway-station canopy collapse became the movement's starting point. The disaster in 2024 killed 16 people, and it was widely blamed on corruption. Students demanded a transparent investigation into what had happened and who should be held responsible.

Their response did not remain a single-issue campaign. Students staged rallies, marched across Serbia and reached voters directly, while challenging the Serbian Progressive Party's media machine. The protests drew huge crowds, including about 150,000 people at a final pre-election rally in Belgrade, according to an independent monitor. The movement eventually demanded an early parliamentary election.

This progression connected a local tragedy to national political accountability. After resisting the movement for almost two years, Vucic called the election, citing major domestic political turbulence. The Students' List then turned the protest network into an electoral campaign and won a projected parliamentary majority.

The article attributes the Serbian Progressive Party's long rule partly to its media machine and to Vucic's leadership. He maintained close ties with Russia throughout his tenure and remained the central figure in the governing system. The article does not provide a detailed account of every institution or tactic that sustained the party's power.

Students challenged that advantage in a different way. For nearly two years, they held rallies, marched through Serbia and spoke directly with voters. They organised volunteers to monitor the vote and built a candidate list filled mostly with experts rather than established politicians. Their campaign focused on corruption and the Novi Sad disaster.

The movement exposed weaknesses in the ruling system by turning a corruption controversy into a nationwide electoral challenge. Its projected majority showed that the party's media advantage did not prevent a well-organised movement from mobilising voters. The article leaves the new government's ability to govern as a future test.

A parliamentary election turns public votes into seats in the national legislature. Voters choose candidates or party lists, and the election system converts those votes into parliamentary representation. The winning group does not necessarily need every vote; it needs enough seats to control legislative decisions under the system's rules.

Serbia's parliament has 250 seats. A simple majority therefore requires at least 126 seats. The article says the Students' List could win 135 to 140 seats. That projected total would give it more than half the chamber, allowing it to pass ordinary parliamentary decisions without relying on another party's support.

A majority also normally provides the basis for forming a government because the largest governing group can select a prime minister and secure parliamentary backing. In this case, Vucic resigned the presidency to run for prime minister, while the Students' List emerged as the projected majority. The article does not identify its proposed prime minister.