Serbia's student movement ousts longtime leader in parliament poll

Belgrade, Serbia - The long-standing rule of Aleksandar Vucic and his right-wing party came to an end following a snap parliamentary election. The student-led movement, known as Students List, claimed victory after nearly two years of anti-government protests following a deadly railway station collapse in Novi Sad. The disaster, blamed on corruption, sparked some of Serbia's largest protests since the fall of Slobodan Milosevic in 2000.

Preliminary results showed the Students List leading in most polling stations, with students winning 135-140 seats, giving them an outright majority in the 250-seat parliament. Vucic conceded defeat less than two hours after polls closed, marking the end of his 14-year rule. The right-wing leader, who has had close ties with Russia, blamed foreign forces for the electoral result, particularly the United States and Europe.

The student movement, primarily composed of political novices from academia and the arts, had been staging rallies and protests for two years, countering Vucic's media influence. Their platform centered on fighting corruption. Despite calling off the election almost two years ago due to domestic political turmoil, Vucic called the vote last month to capitalize on widespread discontent. Both domestic and international observers were present to monitor the vote.