Vucic Concedes as Student Bloc Seizes Serbian Parliament

Aleksandar Vucic has lost his grip on Serbian power after conceding defeat in Sunday's snap parliamentary elections.

The leader of the Serbian Progressive Party admitted the loss to supporters, stating, "It is clear that we have lost these elections." Exit samples indicate his list will secure 105 seats in the 250-member assembly. The Student List is projected to take between 135 and 140 seats, establishing a commanding majority.

Voter participation in the October 26 vote reached its highest level in over 30 years. This surge in engagement followed nearly two years of protests against Vucic. The movement originated after a train station canopy collapsed in Novi Sad on November 1, 2024, killing 16 people. The initial grief evolved into a wide-ranging social uprising that eventually formed the Student List political platform.

The new coalition, led by Ilija Srdanovic, a professor at the Faculty of Medicine in Novi Sad, campaigned on a platform of fighting corruption and depoliticizing public institutions. Vucic had labeled the demonstrators, which included university professors, doctors, and workers, as "blockaders" seeking to destabilize the country.

Vucic, born in Belgrade in 1970, entered politics in 1993 with the ultranationalist Serbian Radical Party. His early record included nationalist rhetoric, such as a 1995 parliamentary remark claiming that killing one Serb warranted killing 100 Muslims. The Radical Party was led by Vojislav Seselj, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2018 for persecution of non-Serbs during the Balkan wars. Seselj's son Aleksandar ran on Vucic's list in this election.

Vucic and Tomislav Nikolic founded the Serbian Progressive Party in 2008 to pivot toward mainstream European politics. Journalist Safeta Bisevac described Vucic as the party's essential organizer during its formation. The party took power in 2012 with promises to combat corruption and organized crime. Bisevac noted that while results were modest, authorities expanded their control over institutions and media.

Vucic served as first deputy prime minister from 2012 to 2014, then as prime minister, before becoming president in 2017. He won re-election in 2022, with his term originally set to continue until 2027. He resigned in September under pressure from the protests and called for early elections. Bisevac observed that Vucic fulfilled few promises while establishing near-total control over the state apparatus.

The economy expanded substantially during Vucic's tenure. Official data cited by Reuters shows unemployment dropping from 26 percent to between 8 and 9 percent. Nominal GDP nearly tripled to approximately 90 billion euros. Foreign direct investment rose from roughly 800 million euros in 2012 to a record 5.2 billion euros in 2024. A network of modern motorways was also constructed. Political scientist Dusko Radosavljevic stated that the students gave voice to justified citizen anger, describing the past decade as one of systematic pressure and the destruction of social institutions.