Former Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić conceded defeat in Sunday’s parliamentary election, projecting a student-backed majority in the 250-seat National Assembly as official results remained pending.
At an election-night event, Vučić said Student List – Students Win would win 135 to 140 seats. He put the ballot’s “ALEKSANDAR VUCIC – UNITED SERBIA” slate at about 105. Vučić said the figures came from a stratified sample, making them estimates rather than a certified count.
“It is now clear that we have lost and the Students’ List has won,” Vučić said, in an English rendering of his remarks by the Associated Press.
Serbia’s Republic Electoral Commission (RIK) described a staged process for reviewing polling-board records and publishing results before determining the final parliamentary tally. Its Oct. 25 announcement did not give final seat totals. The Commission reported turnout of 64.89% by 1 p.m. ET (17:00 UTC; 6 p.m. local time) Sunday, excluding Kosovo and Metohija.
AP and Reuters traced the student movement’s rise to public anger after a canopy failure at Novi Sad’s railway station in 2024 left 16 people dead. Reuters reported that protesters tied the disaster to alleged corruption in renovation work; Vučić and his Serbian Progressive Party denied accusations of corruption and repression.
The National Assembly selects Serbia’s government, giving the projected majority a central role in forming the next administration. EconoTimes previously covered the student-backed slate’s pre-election push.
Vučić resigned as president on Sept. 27, and Serbian government announcements say he handed presidential duties to National Assembly Speaker Ana Brnabić on Sept. 28. The government said a presidential election must be held by the end of December. Reuters reported that Vučić had sought to become prime minister and that the next government’s leader had not been determined.