Serbia’s student movement ousts longtime leader in parliamentary poll

Serbian students have secured a decisive victory in parliamentary elections, marking the end of 14 years of rule by Aleksandar Vucic's right-wing populist party. The snap vote followed nearly two years of anti-government protests ignited by the 2024 collapse of a canopy at Novi Sad railway station, which killed 16 people and was widely blamed on corruption.

Preliminary results show the Students' List leading in almost every polling station, with 56-year-old Vucic conceding defeat less than two hours after polls closed. Students celebrated the rejection of a government they accused of deep-rooted corruption, with thousands taking to the streets in jubilation. Vucic, who has maintained close ties with Russia, blamed foreign powers for the result, claiming it was a validation of a revolution backed by European countries and the US.

Most of the Students' List's 250 candidates are political novices from academia and the arts, centered on a pledge to fight corruption and an early election. Despite Vucic's resistance for nearly two years, mounting pressure led him to call for the vote, citing major domestic turbulence.