On a Sunday night in Belgrade, Aleksandar Vučić, who had governed Serbia for twelve years, acknowledged that his Serbian Progressive Party had lost a snap parliamentary election, though final counts were still pending. The defeat came at the hands of a student-born movement that had grown out of grief over the collapse of a Novi Sad railway canopy, which killed sixteen people and became, for many, a symbol of corruption and negligence in public life. It is a reminder that a government's long hold can be loosened not only by rival parties but by citizens who refuse to let a tragedy be forgotten
Vučić Concedes Serbian Snap Election to Student-Led Anti-Corruption Movement
The collapse of a railway station canopy in Novi Sad killed 16 people, triggering two years of protests over corruption and negligence.
On a Sunday night in Belgrade, Aleksandar Vučić, who had governed Serbia for twelve years, acknowledged that his Serbian Progressive Party had lost a snap parliamentary election, though final counts were still pending. The defeat came at the hands of a student-born movement that had grown out of grief over the collapse of a Novi Sad railway canopy, which killed sixteen people and became, for many, a symbol of corruption and negligence in public life. It is a reminder that a government's long hold can be loosened not only by rival parties but by citizens who refuse to let a tragedy be forgotten.
Late on Sunday, at his party's headquarters in Belgrade, Aleksandar Vučić said something few in Serbia expected: that his side had lost. Final results were not yet in, but the signal was unmistakable. After twelve years in power, and with two presidential terms behind him, he had put himself at the head of his party's campaign to return as prime minister, and the snap vote was one he had called himself after two years of protest.
Those protests began with the collapse of a railway station canopy in Novi Sad, which killed sixteen people. For many, the disaster came to stand for corruption and negligence in public life. Vučić and his party have repeatedly denied the corruption allegations.
The movement that grew from that grief fielded the Student List, a slate with no obvious leaders and little experience in politics. Its candidates included doctors, actors, academics and athletes. It promised to remove officials who had broken the rules while cracking down on protesters, to end party control of state enterprises, and to free the public broadcaster from political influence. Turnout favoured them: by 18:00, two hours before polls closed, participation had reached a record 64.9%, with long lines in towns across Serbia and among voters abroad.
When Vučić conceded, the streets of Belgrade and Novi Sad filled with dancing, chanting and fireworks. Students spoke of a miracle and of a free Serbia, and one voter in Novi Sad simply said that everything would now get better. The Student List's lead candidate, Ilija Srdanović, said the movement hoped to free the country from tyranny.
The count is not finished, and Vučić's concession depends on it. What comes next is whether the new parliament acts on its promises concerning officials, state firms and the broadcaster.
Late on Sunday, at the Belgrade headquarters of his Serbian Progressive Party, Aleksandar Vučić said something few in Serbia expected to hear from him. Final results were not yet in, he told the room, but it was clear his side had lost the election.
He had led Serbia for 12 years. Having served two terms as president, he could not run for a third, so he was campaigning at the head of the SNS with the aim of returning as prime minister, the post he left in 2017. The snap parliamentary vote was one he had called himself, after two years of protests.
Those protests began with the collapse of a train station canopy in Novi Sad, which killed 16 people. For many Serbians the disaster came to stand for corruption and negligence in public life. Vučić and the SNS have repeatedly denied corruption allegations.
The movement that grew from that disaster fielded its own slate, the Student List. It has no obvious leaders, and its members are not used to politics. It nominated candidates for the 250-seat parliament from across Serbian society, among them doctors, actors, academics and sports personalities. Its manifesto promised to purge officials who broke the rules in cracking down on protesters, to stop party loyalists from running public enterprises, and to free the public broadcaster from political control. The slate drew anti-government voters from across the country.
Turnout appeared to favour them. Preliminary figures from the election commission put participation at a record 64.9% by 18:00 local time, two hours before polls closed. Commentators had suggested high turnout would help the students. There were long queues outside polling stations in cities and towns across Serbia, and abroad in Ljubljana, Munich, Los Angeles and Chicago. In Paris, Serbian voters waited in heavy rain. Tension was high at home, and police sealed off streets around the Republic Electoral Commission in Belgrade.
Vučić's campaign had pledged higher pensions and public sector salaries and more investment in state healthcare. He backs Serbia's candidacy for the European Union while refusing to impose sanctions on Russia over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
After he conceded, celebrations broke out. In Belgrade and in Novi Sad, where the centre was crowded, people danced and chanted "victory" while cars honked and fireworks went off. "Serbia is free," one student told the BBC. "It's a miracle." Selena Lebovic, dancing in the Belgrade streets, told Reuters the result was "really fabulous" and that people were crying: "We couldn't believe that it would be so easy." In Novi Sad, David Vasić told BBC Serbian: "Everything is going to get better now."
The Student List's lead candidate, Ilija Srdanović, told BBC Serbian that "This will be a free state," and said the movement hoped to free the country from tyranny. Candidate Radomir Saicic, speaking at a celebration, said no obstacle had been greater than Serbians' will, according to Reuters.
Final results are still to come, and Vučić's own words were conditional on them. What to watch next is how the new parliament takes up the pledges on officials, state enterprises and the public broadcaster.
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