Tens of thousands of people packed the streets of Belgrade and cities across Serbia late into the night to celebrate a sweeping electoral defeat of the ruling administration.
According to Inter Press Service (IPS) reporting by Andrew Firmin, the student-led opposition coalition Student List secured roughly 53 percent of the vote in the October 26 National Assembly election. The result hands the political newcomers a projected 141 seats in the 250-seat parliament, outpacing the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) bloc, which trailed at approximately 39 percent.
The ballot ended months of political turbulence that fundamentally altered the country's political system. Under outgoing leader Aleksandar Vučić, whose party held power since 2012, Serbia’s civic space rating deteriorated from narrowed to repressed as public institutions faced widespread corruption allegations and public media functioned primarily as a government mouthpiece.
The turning point arrived in November 2024 when a railway station canopy collapsed in Novi Sad, killing 16 people. Demonstrators treated the tragedy as a lethal symbol of systemic negligence, prompting sustained university occupations, mass vigils, and a months-long education strike led by students.
Despite facing mass arrests, security force violence, and ruling-party pressure, the movement maintained strict internal discipline. Organizers rejected co-optation by established opposition parties and utilized open university assemblies to select public figures—including academics, actors, and medical professionals—untainted by conventional politics.
The incoming administration now faces the complex task of dismantling entrenched patronage networks and reforming state institutions. IPS reported that an early indicator of institutional shift emerged when the state broadcaster apologized to viewers for its previous pro-SNS bias.
With the National Assembly set to convene, Student List has 90 days to form a government. Lawmakers must manage internal political differences between nationalist and liberal factions while preparing for a presidential election scheduled before the end of the year.
