Serbia Election: Vučić Concedes as Student List Wins About 139 of 250 Seats

Aleksandar Vučić, Serbia's dominant political figure for over a decade, conceded defeat on Sunday night, October 25, 2026, after a student-led movement won the country's snap parliamentary election. Projections from the Ipsos and CeSID polling partnership gave the Student List 139 of the 250 seats, well above the 126 needed to govern alone, while Vučić's list was on course for 104.

The result ends the rule of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), which has governed since 2012. It also follows almost two years of protests that began after a railway station canopy collapsed in Novi Sad in November 2024, killing 16 people.

Vučić spoke at about 9:30 p.m. local time at SNS headquarters in Belgrade. "We still do not have final results... it is clear that we have lost these elections," he said. Crowds then filled the streets of Belgrade, Novi Sad and other cities.

Key facts at a glance

• Projected seats: Student List 139, "Aleksandar Vučić – United Serbia" 104, with the rest going to minority lists (Ipsos/CeSID, 56% sample).
• Vote share: the watchdog CRTA put the Student List at 51.47% and Vučić's list at 40.42%; a later Ipsos/CeSID update at 75% of the sample showed 52.4% to 39.2%.
• Turnout: 64.89% by 6 p.m., according to the election commission, the highest since 1992.
• Electorate: 6,451,292 registered voters at 8,392 polling stations, including 93 abroad in 37 countries.
• Still to come: official results, an observer report from the OSCE's ODIHR mission on Monday, October 26, and a presidential election due by December 27.

How Serbia got here

The protests started after the Novi Sad canopy collapse, which many Serbians saw as a symbol of corruption and negligence. Demands for accountability over the disaster grew into a broader movement against alleged government corruption and repression. Vučić and the SNS have denied the accusations.

Vučić had served two terms as president and could not run for a third. On September 27 he resigned the presidency so he could lead his party's list and seek a return to the prime minister's office, which he left in 2017. The next day he handed the president's duties to parliamentary speaker Ana Brnabić, a close ally, the Serbian government said.

The Student List entered the race without an obvious leader. It fielded candidates from across Serbian society, including doctors, actors, academics and athletes, and many had no political experience. Some established opposition parties backed the students rather than running their own slates. Its manifesto included removing officials who broke rules in cracking down on protesters, stopping party loyalists from running public companies, and freeing the public broadcaster from political control.

Vučić campaigned on higher pensions, higher public-sector pay and more investment in state healthcare. Supporters credit him with modernising the economy.

A record turnout and a decisive margin

Turnout was the story of the day. The election commission (RIK) reported 64.89% turnout by 6 p.m., two hours before polls closed. At the same point in 2023, turnout was 51.93%. CRTA estimated 67.8% by 7 p.m., against 55.5% at that time in 2023.

Long queues formed in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Niš and Kragujevac from the moment polls opened at 7 a.m. Serbians abroad also lined up, from Ljubljana and Munich to Paris, Los Angeles and Chicago.

The margin was large enough to leave little doubt. Vučić told supporters that, based on a sample count, his list had about 1.72 million votes against roughly 2.2 million for the students. CRTA's own count gave the Student List 51.47% and Vučić's list 40.42%.

No other national list made it in. Besides the two big lists, the projection showed seats only for minority lists: three for the Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians, two for the Albanian Coalition and one each for two smaller lists. The Socialist Party of Serbia, led by Ivica Dačić, failed to enter parliament for the first time since it was founded in 1990. CRTA put Dačić's list at 2.2%.

A tense election day

Observers recorded widespread problems. CRTA said its observers saw pressure on voters, election workers or observers at almost a third of the 500 polling stations it monitored. By the evening it reported ballot photography at 48% of monitored stations, failures in the use of UV lamps at 30%, and voting without valid documents at 8%. CeSID had received about 260 reports of possible irregularities by 5 p.m.

There were also violent incidents. Attacks on supporters of the Student List were reported in several towns, including a group of bikers in Hrtkovci, and two journalists were injured in Pavlovac. Belgrade prosecutors appealed to everyone involved to avoid violence. The head of the EU delegation in Serbia, Andreas von Beckerath, said the EU was deeply concerned about reported violent incidents at several polling stations.

Security was heavy in the capital. Police in riot gear sealed off streets around the election commission in Belgrade. Yet after the concession, some celebrating residents shook hands with and hugged officers. Crowds also entered Pioneer Park beside the presidency and took down the tents of a camp set up by government supporters that had stood there for more than a year and a half.

A total of 16,271 observers from 26 domestic and 57 foreign organisations were registered, including 622 foreign observers.

Reactions at home and abroad

The students promised work, not triumph. "Students won, and with them also a hope that Serbia can be a country of justice, freedom and dignity," said Radomir Saičić, a chemistry professor on the list. The list's lead candidate, Ilija Srdanović, said: "This will be a free state."

European leaders moved quickly. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa posted identical messages congratulating the Student List. "We stand ready to support reforms on the rule of law, media freedom, the fight against corruption and strong democratic institutions," they wrote. EU enlargement commissioner Marta Kos said: "The door to the EU is open, and we are ready to move forward together."

Hungary's prime minister Péter Magyar, who ousted Viktor Orbán in April, said he had phoned the students to congratulate them. Montenegro's prime minister and president also sent congratulations, as did Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset, who welcomed Vučić's "acceptance of the result and commitment to a peaceful democratic transition."

The other side of the argument

Not everyone sees a clean break. Vučić said his deputies would not obstruct the new parliament and that the students could form a government within 10 to 15 days of the first session. But he also dismissed it in advance as a "government of experts" (in translation), said he expected to be targeted by the new authorities, and vowed to start preparing that same night to defeat them.

Closer EU ties may not be quite that straightforward, however. The Student List is less openly pro-European than Hungary's Tisza party, and an immediate move against Russia should not be expected. Vučić backed Serbia's EU candidacy while refusing to impose sanctions on Russia.

What it means for you

• For travellers: the UK Foreign Office warned that demonstrations could take place on election day and in the days after, and could disrupt public transport and mobile networks. It advises keeping some cash, keeping phones charged, and staying away from protests.
• For the Serbian diaspora: Serbians in the US, UK, Canada and Australia face another national vote soon. A presidential election must be held by December 27, the head of the election commission said.
• For businesses and investors: a new parliamentary majority with no governing record means policy details are still unclear. The Student List has not yet said who would be prime minister.
• For the wider region: EU leaders say they want to advance Serbia's path toward membership, but they have tied support to reforms on the rule of law, media freedom and corruption.

What happens next

Monday, October 26: the OSCE's ODIHR observer mission said it will present preliminary conclusions on the conduct of the vote.

Official results: the election commission still has to confirm the final count. Vučić said he expected the students' figure to land between 135 and 140 seats.

New parliament and government: once the new assembly meets, Vučić said, the majority could form a government within 10 to 15 days. Who will be prime minister remains an open question.

Presidential vote: Brnabić, as acting president, must call the election, and voting has to take place by December 27. After the new parliament forms, a new speaker would take over that role.

The bottom line

Serbia's election produced a clear result: a movement born in protest now holds a projected majority, and the man who led the country for over a decade has accepted defeat. The harder part, building a government from candidates with little political experience, starts now.

Practical takeaways:

1. Wait for the official count from the election commission before treating seat totals as final; projections ranged from 134 to 139 seats.
2. Watch the ODIHR report on October 26 for an independent view of the irregularities CRTA and CeSID recorded.
3. If you are travelling to Serbia this week, check the UK Foreign Office or your own government's advice, and avoid large gatherings.
4. If you are a Serbian citizen abroad, check your registration ahead of a presidential election that must be held by December 27.
5. For the EU question, look for the new government's first statements on sanctions and reforms rather than the congratulations.

FAQ

Is Vučić still president? No. He resigned on September 27, 2026, and Ana Brnabić is acting president until a new president is elected.

Who will lead the new government? The Student List has not said who would be prime minister. It has no single leader figure, and its lead candidate was Ilija Srdanović.

Why did protests begin? A railway station canopy collapsed in Novi Sad in November 2024, killing 16 people. Protesters blamed corruption and negligence; the government denies the corruption accusations.