Will Russia and Serbia Remain 'Brothers Forever' After Shock Election Result?
The Kremlin's response to the fall of Aleksandar Vučić has been surprisingly tepid. That could change as the Student List takes shape.
On October 20, Serbia held snap parliamentary elections, leading to a shock result that questioned the enduring nature of its relationship with Russia. The elections, the most significant in modern Serbian history with 68.78% voter turnout, saw the SNS-led coalition "Aleksandar Vučić — United Serbia" securing 39.28% of the vote.
In contrast, the "Student List," a coalition of the student movement and opposition parties, garnered 52.55% (2,215,901 votes). This result was unexpected, as pro-government sources predicted victory for Vučić while independent observers favored the students. The odds on Polymarket also favored Vučić until the final day, when the student victory became apparent.
The results led to widespread protests and unrest, prompting police to deploy cordons in Belgrade and bring in gendarmerie units. Vučić's concession speech suggested the student victory was due to foreign forces, particularly European politicians and Russia, which had sent observers. Russia responded positively initially, praising Vučić's contribution to relations and expressing hope for constructive cooperation.
However, Russia's true intentions will be revealed through actions like the sale of Serbia's oil and gas company NIS to Hungarian company MOL and the gas contract that expires in 2026.
Written by urgent.news from The Moscow Times - Opinion's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
