The key facts
- Vucic conceded the defeat of the 'United Serbia' coalition in the early parliamentary elections, citing stratified sample results.
- Supporters of the 'Student List' are celebrating at the headquarters in Belgrade; the list is led by cardiologist Ilija Srdanovic.
- The movement formed amid anti-government protests following the collapse of a station canopy in Novi Sad in November 2024, which killed 16 people.
Celebration at the opposition list's headquarters
Celebrations have begun at the Belgrade headquarters of the Serbian electoral movement 'Student List — Students Win' following former president Aleksandar Vucic's statement about his coalition's defeat. Those gathered chanted 'Victory!' and 'The students have won!', movement representatives took the stage, and the cardiologist Ilija Srdanovic, who heads the list, joined the celebration along with other participants. The festivities then moved to the exit of the business center where the headquarters is located: brass instruments played there, people danced to music, and Belgrade residents joined the celebrants. Life.ru is publishing accounts from the scene, citing a video on the social network X.
Concession of defeat and context of the movement
Aleksandar Vucic conceded the defeat of his coalition in the early parliamentary elections. According to him, the results of a stratified sample already allow the conclusion that the ruling coalition 'United Serbia' has been defeated. The main rival of Vucic's party was the 'Student List', formed amid mass anti-government protests. The protest movement gained popularity after the collapse of a canopy at the railway station in Novi Sad in November 2024, which killed 16 people. According to Life.ru, Vucic also blamed the coalition's defeat on the US 'deep state'. The editorial team notes that the final official election results are not given in the cited publications: the conclusion of defeat is so far based on Vucic's statement, which referenced sample-based data.
Why this matters
The statement by the then-incumbent leader about the ruling coalition's defeat means a likely change of power in Serbia as a result of the early elections, which directly affects both the country's domestic politics and its partners. In practical terms, this means that, judging by the stratified sample data Vucic spoke about, the formation of a new government will proceed without the 'United Serbia' coalition, and coalition negotiations will likely revolve around the 'Student List'. There are no official election results yet, so the final configuration of power remains uncertain.
