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Serbia's Vučić concedes defeat as student-led list ends 14 years of SNS rule
Aleksandar Vučić conceded defeat in Serbia's snap parliamentary election after the Students' List, born out of two years of protests, won about 51.5% of the vote, ending 14 years of rule by his Serbian Progressive Party.
Aleksandar Vučić conceded defeat Sunday in Serbia's snap parliamentary election, ending 14 years of dominant rule by his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) after a student-led movement swept to victory.
"Based on the stratified sample, it is clear that we have lost this election," Vučić told supporters about an hour and a half after polls closed. "The Students' List has won." He said the list was on track for 135 to 140 seats in the 250-seat National Assembly, while his party would get about 105.
Preliminary figures from the independent monitor CRTA put the Students' List at about 51.5%, against roughly 40% for Vučić's "United Serbia" coalition. Turnout neared 70%, the highest since 2000.
Vučić, who resigned as president last month to run for prime minister, cast his ballot in Belgrade on Sunday morning. He had been endorsed by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Blames 'American deep state'
In his concession, Vučić blamed independent media and alleged interference by unnamed European countries and an "American deep state," calling the vote "a verification of a revolution that they carried out directly with support of various European countries."
CRTA reported a series of irregularities, including obstruction of polling station committee members and pressure on voters, and said ballots were photographed at 80% of the Belgrade polling stations it monitored. Two journalists were attacked while reporting near the southern town of Vranje.
Celebrations in Belgrade
Supporters of the Students' List flooded the streets of Belgrade and other cities, honking horns and chanting "Aleksandar is gone."
"Tonight, the citizens of Serbia have shown that no obstacle is greater than their will," said Radomir Saičić, a candidate on the list.
The movement grew out of protests that followed the November 2024 collapse of a concrete canopy at the railway station in Novi Sad, which killed 16 people and which protesters blamed on corruption. Students themselves did not run; the list was made up of little-known experts, athletes, farmers and artists.
Serbia is a candidate for European Union membership, and the new government's approach to Brussels, Washington, Moscow and Beijing will be closely watched.
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