Belgrade, Oct 26 — Former Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic conceded defeat in the snap parliamentary election, as independent projections and leaders of a student-backed movement born out of anti-corruption protests confirmed an outright parliamentary majority that ends the Serbian Progressive Party's (SNS) 14-year grip on power.
Initial projections released by polling agencies Ipsos and CeSID showed the "Student List -- Students Win" winning 52 per cent of the vote, well ahead of Vucic's SNS-led coalition, "Aleksandar Vucic -- United Serbia," which stood at 39.3 per cent.
Speaking at his campaign headquarters in Belgrade before final official results were available, Vucic said a stratified sample indicated that the student-backed list would win between 135 and 140 of the 250 parliamentary seats, compared with around 105 for his coalition, reports Xinhua news agency.
"I want to inform you that based on the stratified sample, it is clear that we have lost these elections," Vucic said. "The student-backed list has won. They will have between 135 and 140 seats, and we will have around 105."
According to Vucic's projections, the student-backed list received approximately 2.2 million votes, while his coalition secured roughly 1.72 million.
As victory celebrations erupted at the Student List's headquarters, prominent candidate Radomir Saicic, a University of Belgrade professor and member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, declared a historic triumph for Serbian citizens.
"Tonight the voice of the people is heard," Saicic said, noting that preliminary results showed the Student List convincingly leading across polling stations.
"This is a victory of courage over fear, a victory of hope over apathy, a victory of faith that Serbia can and must be different ... This victory is no one's personal trophy. It belongs to all of us," he said.
Stressing that the electoral will of the public "must be respected without exception," Saicic called on supporters to celebrate peacefully and with dignity, urging citizens not to fall for provocations or enter into conflicts.
Sunday's vote determined all 250 seats in Serbia's unicameral parliament, with 126 needed for a majority.
About 6.45 million voters were eligible to cast ballots at 8,392 polling stations, with 18 electoral lists competing. Polling stations closed at 8 p.m. (1900 GMT), though voters already in line at that hour were permitted to cast their ballots.
The outcome marks a major shift in Serbian politics, where Vucic and the SNS have held a dominant position since 2012. Vucic resigned as president on Sept. 27 to take part in the parliamentary election, with a new presidential vote required by the end of December.
The student-backed movement emerged from nearly two years of anti-corruption protests and university blockades following the November 2024 collapse of a railway station canopy in Novi Sad that killed 16 people. The tragedy became a focal point for public anger over corruption and demands for accountability.
The movement's electoral list, formally headed by Novi Sad university professor Ilija Srdanovic, campaigned on institutional reform and anti-corruption measures. It challenged not only the ruling bloc but also established opposition parties, including the Socialist Party of Serbia and other pro-European and right-wing groups.
In his concession address, Vucic said he had chosen to announce the projections before official results were released to spare supporters uncertainty and counter claims that he would refuse to acknowledge an electoral defeat.
He attributed his bloc's projected defeat to foreign support for the protest movement, describing the result as a "verification of a revolution".
Vucic thanked his supporters and pledged that his political movement would remain united and continue its work from the opposition benches.
The projections represent the most significant electoral setback for the SNS since it came to power in 2012 and place the student-backed movement in a position to form a single-party parliamentary majority.