![\"Serbians](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/afp_6ade99018310-1792973057.jpg\")
People in the Serbian city of Novi Sad celebrate in the streets October 26, 2026, after the student movement declared victory at snap parliamentary elections [AFP]<\/p>\nSerbia\u2019s longtime leader Aleksandar Vucic has conceded defeat to a student-led movement in the country\u2019s snap parliamentary election, saying the opposition group is set to secure a majority of seats.<\/p>\n
Vucic said on Sunday that, based on a sample of votes, the Student List was expected to win between 135 and 140 seats in the 250-member parliament, compared with 105 for his electoral list.<\/p>\n
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While stating that final results were not yet available, the populist leader said, \u201cIt is clear that we have lost these elections.\u201d<\/p>\n
His announcement was greeted with cheers, euphoria and tears at the Student List headquarters, according to the Belgrade-based FoNet news agency.<\/p>\n
\u201cPreliminary results show that students are convincingly leading in almost all polling stations,\u201d Radomir Saicic, a parliamentary candidate for the Students\u2019 List, said in a speech at the movement\u2019s election headquarters.<\/p>\n
\u201cStudents won, and with them also a hope that Serbia can be a country of justice, freedom and dignity,\u201d he added. \u201cLet this night be the beginning of a new chapter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Voting to determine whether Vucic\u2019s Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), which has governed since 2012, could retain power against a movement born from nationwide anticorruption protests, ended at 8pm local time (19:00 GMT) on Sunday.<\/p>\n
The State Election Commission said that by 6pm (17:00 GMT), voter turnout had reached 64.9 percent, \u2060\u2060\u2060\u2060the \u2060\u2060\u2060\u2060highest since \u2060\u2060\u2060\u2060the breakup \u200c\u200c\u200c\u200cof Yugoslavia in \u200c\u200c\u200c\u200c1992.<\/p>\n
University of Belgrade researcher Jelena Vasiljevic told Al Jazeera in an interview published on Friday that the SNS had a reliable voter base, while the students needed to attract people who normally did not vote.<\/p>\n
Sunday\u2019s voting was also marred by reports of intimidation and procedural problems.<\/p>\n
The Centre for Research, Transparency and Accountability (CRTA), an independent election watchdog, said its observers recorded pressure on voters or election workers at almost a third of the 500 polling stations it monitored.<\/p>\n
It also reported failures to protect ballot secrecy.<\/p>\n
By 5pm (16:00 GMT), the Centre for Free Elections and Democracy (CeSID), an election-monitoring group, had received about 260 reports of potential irregularities, including ballot photography, group voting and difficulties with identification checks.<\/p>\n
Serbians celebrate<\/p>\n
Celebrations erupted across Serbia, with fireworks lighting the sky almost immediately after Vucic\u2019s announcement conceding defeat. Tens of thousands crowded Belgrade\u2019s main roads as supporters of the Student List drove around in cars, honking their horns.<\/p>\n
Serbians chanted, \u201cAleksandar is gone\u201d, and sang the student movement\u2019s songs. Crowds dismantled tents set up at a park in central Belgrade, where Vucic\u2019s loyalists had been camping for more than a year.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt means freedom from a dictatorship that has lasted for 12 years, that I cannot remember a time before,\u201d voter Jana Vasic told Al Jazeera. \u201cI\u2019m not completely sure what our candidates will do first, but I think first for tonight, we\u2019ll celebrate. And then tomorrow, the real hard work starts.\u201d<\/p>\n
People in the Serbian city of Novi Sad celebrate in the streets October 26, 2026, after the student movement declared victory at snap parliamentary elections [AFP]<\/p>\n
Belgrade resident Dragana Kovecevic told the Associated Press news agency that she was thrilled that \u201ceveryone greets with smiles\u201d. She added: \u201cWe are all too happy; finally, we are becoming one normal and free country.\u201d<\/p>\n
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen congratulated the Student List on its election victory, writing on X: \u201cWe stand ready to support reforms on the rule of law, media freedom, the fight against corruption and strong democratic institutions, and to work together to advance Serbia\u2019s future in the European Union.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pressure from student-led movement<\/p>\n
In Belgrade, as the election took place, police wearing riot helmets and carrying shields were deployed near the election commission\u2019s headquarters, where roads were closed and barricades erected.<\/p>\n
City prosecutors appealed on Sunday for everyone involved in the election to avoid violence.<\/p>\n
The election follows nearly two years of student-led protests that began after a railway station canopy collapsed in Novi Sad in November 2024, killing 16 people.<\/p>\n
Demands for accountability widened into a movement against alleged government corruption and repression. Vucic and the SNS deny the accusations.<\/p>\n
The Student List \u2013 Students Win, which emerged from demonstrations, fielded candidates drawn from professions including medicine and education, many of whom have no political experience.<\/p>\n
The movement campaigned for stronger institutions and an end to corruption.<\/p>\n
Some established opposition parties backed the students rather than fielding their own candidates.<\/p>\n