Serbian leader Aleksandar Vucic lost to a student-supported opposition coalition in parliamentary elections, ceding power after 14 years and transforming the political landscape in the country after almost two years of anti-government protests.
Vucic said on Sunday, after the initial projection showed the Students’ List winning between 135 and 140 seats in the 250 seat parliament, versus some 105 seats for his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS).
“We lost these elections, Student List won,” Vucic said to supporters, Reuters reports.
The protests were sparked by the November 2024 collapse of a railway station canopy in Novi Sad that resulted in the death of 16 people. The tragedy sparked anti-corruption protests and protests for accountability that quickly escalated into a challenge to Vucic’s government.
They went on to form a popular movement that spread throughout the country to include teachers, scientists, workers, farmers and other social sectors. They aimed at eliminating corruption and establishing democracy and restoring confidence.
Vucic, who has run Serbian politics as prime minister or president since 2014, said the protesters were “coming in the service of foreign interests”, claims they dismissed.
The election result leaves the student-led protest movement with the task of transforming its protest campaign into good governance and managing Serbia’s relationships with the European Union, Russia and China.
