Vučić concedes as Serbia's student-led list wins 52.5% in snap election

Serbia’s student-led protest movement has won the country’s snap parliamentary election. Based on results from 8,077 polling stations, the national electoral commission (RIK) said on Monday that the Student List received 2,211,400 votes (52.54%), while the “Aleksandar Vučić – United Serbia” list built around the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) received 1,653,868 votes (39.29%), state agency Tanjug reported. Ivica Dačić’s list took 2.16%; turnout was 68.78%.

Vučić admits defeat

Vučić conceded on election night. “We have lost these elections,” he said, according to Tanjug, using the government’s label “blockaders” for the students. AP described it as a defeat to the movement that grew out of more than a year of protests. Projections reported by Euronews Srbija put the new parliament at about 141 of 250 seats for the Student List, 103 for United Serbia and six for minority parties — enough for the students to govern alone.

Reaction from Europe and Moscow

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President António Costa and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola congratulated the Student List; EU officials told the incoming government that the “door to the EU is open”, the Guardian reported. The Kremlin said it “acknowledges” the results and praised Vučić’s past contribution to Russian-Serbian ties, according to TASS.