Belgrade erupts in celebration as Vucic concedes defeat after 14 years in power

A new political chapter in Serbia appears to be beginning. Celebrations have erupted in the capital Belgrade and across the Balkan country after a student-led movement won a clear parliamentary majority in a snap election. The result turned two years of anti-government protests over a deadly train station disaster and corruption accusations into a historic electoral victory.

After 14 years at the top of Serbian politics, strongman leader Aleksandar Vucic conceded defeat. Speaking to supporters once the result was clear, Student List candidate Radomir Sicic hailed the victory, saying: "Tonight, the citizens of Serbia have shown that no obstacle is greater than their will."

Correspondent Olivera Zivkovic described the scene in central Belgrade, where fireworks, firecrackers, shouting and singing filled the streets and the whole country seemed to be outside. Before that, media crews had gathered at the Student List headquarters in New Belgrade, where Vucic's concession was followed by a moment of shock and disbelief, especially among the Student List members, who stood still for a moment before the celebrations erupted.

Zivkovic said many in the country believed Vucic would not concede. They expected him to try to declare victory in some way or to disrupt or delegitimize the results. The early concession, based on preliminary results and a statistical sample, therefore came as a surprise.

On the morning of the vote, Zivkovic visited a polling station and saw people standing in queues for hours. According to analysts, this high voter turnout made a big change to the result.

The Student List is not yet a political party. It is a civic group that grew out of the student movement and expanded into a broader societal movement, with many members of society rallying behind the students. Its list contains 250 candidates, the full number of people who can sit in the Serbian National Assembly.

Zivkovic said most of these candidates are not well known to the Serbian public. They include university professors, lawyers, artists, and environmental and anti-lithium-mining activists, and the list also includes a former basketball star from the former Yugoslavia. Zivkovic described it as a mix of people from all spheres of life who have no ties to political parties or to Serbian political history.

According to Zivkovic, the candidates were chosen through rigorous procedures in student assemblies at universities, where students debated who should be picked. The process took months, and it was unclear until the very end who would be on the list. When the elections were announced, the list was made public, and some of its members will enter the National Assembly, though not all of them.

Zivkovic said Vucic's downfall did not come overnight but was the culmination of years of dissatisfaction. Critics and analysts said Vucic, though president, a largely symbolic and diplomatic position rather than the prime minister's post, meddled in nearly every sphere of Serbian society.

Over the years there were many anti-government protests and environmental protests against a lithium project pushed by his Serbian Progressive Party. The disaster in Novi Sad, in which 16 people lost their lives, was the point that cracked the system, according to Zivkovic. She added that the process is not over, since votes were still being counted, but Vucic is clearly expected to remain a figure in the country, this time in opposition.

Zivkovic described the movement as widely considered a Gen Z movement. For the past two years since the Novi Sad tragedy, its members insisted on peaceful protests. They said they could go out to the streets and express dissatisfaction, but did not want violence or further polarization of society, and they wanted to show they could persevere for months or even years to hold the government to account.

The movement's goal of justice and accountability for those who lost their lives was simple, and Zivkovic said Serbians rallied behind it. Its social media presence was strong, with many videos that went viral and were widely watched and shared.

Student teams in every village marched through cities, cycled, ran marathons and went door to door, even in the most remote rural areas of Serbia, asking people to believe them. Zivkovic said older people found it easy to believe younger students and children who demanded accountability for what happened in Novi Sad.

A historic number of Serbians living abroad registered to vote in the parliamentary elections. Analysts, however, believe there were attempts to disrupt their voting rights, because not enough polling stations were open around the world. In North America there were only several polling stations, so people flew in from many cities to New York and Los Angeles. In Australia, people had to travel to Melbourne to vote, and even people from Southeast Asia traveled to Australia for this purpose.

Germany faced the same problem. Zivkovic said voters in Berlin reported waiting up to seven hours to vote, which showed that there were not enough polling stations. Zivkovic also noted that diaspora Serbians still feel connected to the country, want change, and many would like to return if conditions changed. Turnout in the diaspora was very high, and their votes were counted.

Zivkovic said the votes were still being counted, and a full picture of what happened in Serbia could take several hours or several days. Local European and international observers reported many disruptions and attempts to intimidate electoral observers. Reports also described people voting multiple times. Zivkovic said that, for now, it is not known what happened across the entire country, but the first step is to examine what occurred in these elections.

Once victory is fully confirmed, the Student List will enter the National Assembly and be able to form a government. The president will then suggest a prime minister. Zivkovic said it remains to be seen whether a group with such diverse members can come together ideologically and agree on crucial issues, both domestic and in foreign policy. Over the coming weeks and months, the key question will be whether the Student List can turn the political will of Serbian people into actual reforms and concrete action.

Zivkovic said that many people in Serbia, including some who supported the Student List, have criticized it for not being clear on foreign policy. Its position was somewhat vague, especially on Russia and the European Union, and it is not immediately clear whether the relationship with these partners will continue as it is now.

Zivkovic said Vucic was able for years to balance relations with the EU, the United States, China and Russia, and did so very successfully. Now it must be seen what the Student List will do when it comes to power. Zivkovic noted that Serbia has historically had good ties with Russia, including good energy ties, and that it refused to impose sanctions over the war in Ukraine. What the Student List will say about this remains to be seen.

The presenter thanked Zivkovic for her analysis and noted from the images that there appeared to be one big party under way in Belgrade and, from her reporting, across Serbia that night. The presenter then invited viewers to share in the comments what they make of the result and how monumental the moment is for the Balkan country.