The key facts

  • The student movement defeated Vucic's party in Serbia's early elections
  • The victory ends Vucic's party's 14 years in power
  • Belgrade residents are celebrating; Vucic's supporters have left the camp near parliament

Victory of the student list

Belgrade was in a festive mood on Monday after the student-led movement outpolled the party of right-wing populist Aleksandar Vucic in Serbia's early elections,AFP reports. Drivers honked their horns, passers-by showed three fingers — the number of the winning list on the ballot and a Serbian greeting. Many wore badges and other symbols of the student movement.

The end of 14 years in power

The decisive victory in Sunday's vote was the culmination of nearly two years of anti-government protests and brought an end to Vucic's party's 14 years in power,AFP writes. Vucic himself conceded defeat — a moment that, according to 23-year-old medical student Milutin Kandic, no one of her generation will forget. The day after the election, a large group of residents cleaned up the park between parliament and the presidency, from which Vucic's loyalists had fled the previous evening after camping there for more than a year.

The mood in the capital

Residents of Belgrade told AFP of feelings of hope, relief and elation. 'Today, I think, we have finally gained freedom,' said 23-year-old design student Katarina Malesevic, noting that 'everything smells of freedom.' Seventy-five-year-old Ljubisa Vujosevic expressed satisfaction that the gap between the student list and Vucic's list was so wide and decisivethat the losers had no grounds for complaints. He also linked the change of power to the political awakening of the people and to a change in Serbia's image in international media. 'Serbia has finally won,' said 73-year-old Dragan Miladinovic.

Why it matters

The change of power in Serbia after 14 years of rule by one party and nearly two years of protests alters the country's political configuration, and the victory of the student list in particular points to a new political force. For residents, the changes are already tangible: Vucic's supporters have left the camp near parliament, and townspeople have set about returning public spaces to everyday life. So far, no sources have reported on the composition of the future government or the winners' immediate political steps.