Serbian Election: Student Bloc Secures Majority as Vucic Concedes

Voter turnout in Serbia reached its highest level in more than three decades on Sunday, a statistic that framed the historic shift in the country's political leadership. The surge in participation coincided with the defeat of Aleksandar Vucic, who had dominated Serbian politics for over a decade.

Vucic, the leader of the Serbian Progressive Party, addressed his supporters to acknowledge the outcome. He stated, "It is clear that we have lost these elections." Initial vote counts indicated his party would secure 105 seats in the 250-member parliament. The opposition Student List was projected to take between 135 and 140 seats, ensuring a majority.

The Student List emerged from a wave of unrest that began after a train station canopy collapsed in Novi Sad on November 1, 2024, killing 16 people. What started as a youth-led protest against the tragedy expanded into a broader movement involving university professors, doctors, and workers. Ilija Srdanovic, a professor at the Faculty of Medicine in Novi Sad, led the campaign for the new political platform.

Vucic had characterized the demonstrators as "blockaders" and accused them of attempting to destabilize the country. The Student List pledged to combat corruption, remove political influence from public institutions, and restore citizens' rights. The party's rise marked a sharp break from the nationalist rhetoric that defined Vucic's early career.

Vucic entered politics in 1993 by joining the ultranationalist Serbian Radical Party under Vojislav Seselj. In July 1995, nine days after the Srebrenica genocide, Vucic told parliament: "Kill one Serb, and we will kill 100 Muslims." Seselj was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2018 for persecution and deportation of non-Serbs during the Balkan wars. Seselj's son, also named Aleksandar, appeared on Vucic's list in the current election.

The Serbian Progressive Party was founded in 2008 by Vucic and Tomislav Nikolic after a split within the Radical Party. Journalist Safeta Bisevac noted that Vucic was initially less popular than Nikolic and served as the party's primary organizer. The party took power in 2012 with promises to fight corruption and organized crime. Bisevac described the results as modest while authorities expanded their control over institutions, media, and political life.

Vucic served as first deputy prime minister from 2012 to 2014, followed by a tenure as prime minister. He became president in 2017 and won re-election in 2022. His term was scheduled to run until 2027, but he resigned in September under pressure from the protests and called for early elections. Despite his resignation, he retained dominant influence over his party and state policy until the vote.

Bisevac observed that Vucic made many promises but fulfilled few, establishing almost complete control over the state apparatus in the interim. The economy grew during Vucic's tenure. Official data cited by Reuters showed 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, accompanied by the construction of a modern motorway network.

Political scientist Dusko Radosavljevic said the students gave voice to the justified anger of citizens. He described the past decade as a period of systematic pressure and the destruction of social institutions. Radosavljevic added that intelligence services spent more time monitoring political opponents while critical thinking was pushed out of public media.