What next for Serbia's election winners?

Serbia’s Student List is a student-led political movement born from nationwide anti-corruption protests. It matters because it turned anger over public safety, secrecy, and political control into an organized challenge to Aleksandar Vučić’s long rule.

It began in November 2024, after a concrete canopy collapsed at Novi Sad’s renovated train station, killing 16 people, including two children. Protesters blamed poor work and corrupt, opaque contracting; supporters from many professions joined. Instead of choosing one leader, the movement used assemblies, debates, and votes, then campaigned as “Serbia or the mafia” in the parliamentary election.

That organizing model carried it into formal electoral politics: its candidates won 53% and 140 of 250 seats, according to the article’s reported figures. It became the clear governing force, although the Electoral Commission had not finalized the result. Its elected representatives must now choose a prime minister and ministers within 30 days, or 90 days under the extended deadline.

The Student List won Serbia’s parliamentary election with 53% of the popular vote. Its margin was especially striking because polls predicted only a one- or two-point lead. The victory gives the movement a strong mandate for its anti-corruption programme.

The movement defeated Aleksandar Vučić’s United Serbia coalition by more than 13 percentage points. That support translated into 140 of the National Assembly’s 250 seats, giving it a clear majority. This result was far larger than most polling suggested.

Vučić’s party won about 39% and secured 104 seats in opposition. The result gives the Student List enough strength to govern without coalition partners. However, it must still choose a prime minister and nominate cabinet ministers.

The Student List’s next task is turning its election win into a working government. After Serbia’s Electoral Commission confirms the result, MPs must choose a prime minister and nominate cabinet ministers.

The movement won 140 of 250 seats, giving it a clear majority. However, it campaigned without a single leader and makes decisions through debates, assemblies and votes. Its representatives must now agree who will lead and fill key posts.

The MPs have 30 days to form a government once the official result is announced. If they miss that deadline, they can receive an extension, with up to 90 days available. Extra time could help the mostly inexperienced representatives settle leadership and cabinet choices. But it would delay promises on corruption, security services and public media.

The canopy collapse at Novi Sad station became a national symbol of corruption and secrecy. Sixteen people, including two children, died. Protesters argued that poor construction resulted from corrupt contracting and weak public oversight.

The protests began in November 2024 and quickly spread nationwide. People from many professions joined students, demanding transparent public institutions and Vučić’s resignation. Their shared anger transformed a local tragedy into the Student List movement, organized through assemblies, debates, and votes rather than one leader.

In the election described, that movement won 53% of the vote, securing 140 of Serbia’s 250 parliamentary seats. Its priorities include independent police bodies, a more independent judiciary, and depoliticized institutions. The challenge is turning public outrage into lasting reforms, especially while choosing a prime minister and cabinet.

A movement can govern without one permanent leader by using collective decisions. Student List members debate proposals, meet in assemblies, and vote rather than following one central figure.

After the election, its MPs must choose a prime minister from their own ranks and nominate cabinet ministers. The clearest comparison is Hungary’s Tisza party, which campaigned around Péter Magyar; Student List deliberately used no equivalent figure. Its debates, assemblies, and votes give members a way to agree candidates and policies.

The movement won 53% and 140 of 250 seats, giving it a clear mandate. After official results, MPs have 30 days to form a government, or up to 90 days if needed. Because most representatives had not previously entered politics, coordinating a cabinet and shared programme will be a major test.

The Student List promises to rebuild Serbia’s institutions after years of what one expert called a “captured state.” It wants independent police bodies to investigate corruption, instead of sending cases directly to the interior ministry. It also promises stronger judicial independence and politically neutral public institutions.

Sixteen people died when a concrete canopy collapsed at Novi Sad station in November 2024. Protesters linked the deaths to poor construction, corruption and secretive public contracts. The movement says independent investigators and depoliticised appointments can break those connections.

It also wants to overhaul public broadcasting, especially RTS, which reports found gave little airtime to opposition views. Last week, the movement demanded resignations from RTS’s director-general and senior editorial staff. It won 140 of 250 parliamentary seats, but lawmakers must first form a government within 30 days, or 90 days under the extended deadline.

A state becomes politically “captured” when one political network controls institutions meant to limit its power. Independent courts can judge officials fairly, police can investigate allies and opponents alike, and media can expose wrongdoing. Together, they make corruption harder to hide and elections more meaningful.

In Serbia, protesters said corruption helped cause the 2024 Novi Sad station canopy collapse, which killed 16 people, including two children. The Student List therefore promised independent police bodies, a more independent judiciary, and less political control over public institutions. These safeguards matter because cases would not simply go directly to the interior ministry.

The need is urgent. The article says public broadcaster RTS gave little airtime to opposition views, while another broadcaster admitted one-sided reporting. The movement won 53% and 140 of 250 seats, giving it power to change these systems. Its success will depend on turning promises into lasting protections, not replacing one form of control with another.