Serbia's student list wins early election as Vučić concedes defeat

Students take the lead in the count

Serbia's students won the early parliamentary elections held on Sunday, 25 October 2026, according to preliminary results that ANSA reported are unlikely to change substantially. The student list is credited with 52% of the vote, which would give it 138 of the 250 seats in the National Parliament. Former president Aleksandar Vučić's United Serbia list is projected at 39% and 104 seats. According to projections, no other coalition cleared the 3% threshold, apart from ethnic minority parties, which are exempt from it. Celebrations broke out in streets across the country, as broadcast live on television.

Vučić concedes defeat

Vučić, who resigned in September to lead the United Serbia list, was the first to appear live on RTS and announce that he had lost the election. His live appearance had raised fears that he would instead claim victory. Speaking to his party, he said the student list would hold well over the 126 seats needed to govern, while his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) would have 105, according to Adnkronos. Europa Press reported that he cited a stratified sample, put the students at 135 to 140 seats, and attributed their win to a 'revolution' backed by foreign countries. He called the students' campaign 'unfair and deceitful' and said he would make no concessions to the opposition, while acknowledging 'the students' victory'.

Candidate Radomir Sajčić, speaking for the students to RTS, said:

Serbia has finally taken its destiny into its own hands, with a result that rewards nearly two years of struggle.

The top candidate on the student slate, cardiologist Ilija Srdjanović, said the country had turned its back on a tyrant and was moving toward a better Serbia.

Turnout and the road to the vote

Turnout neared 70%, a level ANSA said had not been seen in at least 30 years. Europa Press reported 67.6% by 19:00 according to IPSOS and CeSid, against 55.9% at the same hour in the 2023 vote. Earlier, the electoral commission (RIK) reported 46.4% at 14:00, compared with 32.2% at the same time in the December 2023 election. The protests behind the vote began after a canopy collapsed at the Novi Sad railway station in 2024, killing 16 people, a tragedy Adnkronos links to widespread corruption. Most of the 250 student candidates come from universities and the arts with little political experience, and several opposition parties chose not to run and urged their supporters to back the students.

Irregularities on polling day

RIK president Vladimir Dimitrijević said voting was proceeding normally at most centres, although some conflicts required police intervention. Voting in Doljevac was briefly suspended after a person tried to vote with several identity documents, and police took statements from those involved. Kreni-Promeni, a citizen initiative and party, said its observers had recorded more than 300 irregularities by 13:00, including photographs of ballots, pressure on voters and suspected vote buying. Independent media reported that requests for home voting in Kladovo rose from 115 to 460, a figure flagged by an opposition member of the local election commission. Dimitrijević also warned about breaches of the secret ballot after some polling board members tied back or removed booth curtains, and RIK said those responsible would be identified.

Belgrade on election night

Long queues formed before the polling stations opened at 7 a.m. After polls closed at 20:00, a tense atmosphere grew in downtown Belgrade, with heavy police deployments and fears of provocateurs, according to ANSA. Celebrations erupted in the streets as the first results circulated. The figures reviewed are preliminary, and the sources do not yet include a final official tally. The first official results were expected around 22:30, according to Europa Press.