Serbia holds parliamentary elections: the Student List challenges Vucic's party

The elections the streets demanded

On Sunday, October 25, 2026, polling stations opened in Serbia for early parliamentary elections, which Deutsche Welle describes as among the most competitive in more than a decade. According to polls, the main contest is between the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) and the new, youth-backed 'Student List'. In total, 18 electoral lists are competing for 250 seats in parliament; however, according to AFP, voters' choice largely comes down to a confrontation between the government and the student list; several major opposition parties withdrew and called on their supporters to vote for the students.

From the tragedy in Novi Sad to a political movement

The backdrop to the elections is nearly two years of student protests that began after the collapse of a canopy at the railway station in Novi Sad in 2024. The disaster claimed the lives of 16 people and sparked a broad wave of anger over accusations of corruption, low construction standards, and impunity for infrastructure projects. The authorities reject these accusations. The protests, which began with blockades and university marches, were gradually joined by teachers, farmers, and other groups in society; according to Deutsche Welle, this is the largest movement in Serbia since the fall of Slobodan Milosevic's regime in 2000. The final pre-election rally in Belgrade on Thursday gathered, according to independent monitoring, about 150,000 people.

Vucic changes posts for a new mandate

Aleksandar Vucic, who has ruled the country for more than a decade, called the early elections last month, citing, according to AFP, 'major upheavals on the domestic political scene.' He stepped down early from the presidency to run for prime minister: his second presidential term would have expired in May 2027, and the constitution bars him from seeking a third. Vucic came to power as prime minister in 2014 and has been president since 2017. Critics accuse him of concentrating power and pressuring independent media; he and his party deny these accusations. At the polling station, Vucic told journalists: 'Serbia is voting today to decide where it will go — into the future or into the past', and added that in the event of defeat, the result would be recognized.

Record turnout and election monitoring

Turnout is noticeably higher than in previous elections. According to the independent monitoring group CRTA, by 1:00 p.m. 41.1% of voters had cast their ballots compared with 26.6% at the same stage of the December 2023 elections; the central election commission, according to AFP, reported almost 20% by 10 a.m., versus 9.94% in 2023. There are 6.4 million registered voters in the country. The voting is being watched by domestic and international observers, and students have mobilized a large number of volunteers. Days before the election, Serbian civil society organizations warned that conditions for 'free and fair elections' were absent. Voters abroad faced particular difficulties: the authorities required that voting abroad follow Serbian time, as a result of which in Chicago, polling stations opened at one in the morning, and some voters had to travel hundreds of kilometers to reach the nearest polling station.

The stakes for Serbia and Europe

The 'Student List' is led by cardiologist Ilija Srdanovic, who, by his own account, is not the leader of the movement or the designated candidate for prime minister; most of the list's 250 candidates are professionals from academia and the creative sphere without political experience, and the platform focuses on fighting corruption. The elections are being closely watched in Europe: Serbia is a candidate for EU membership, but the accession process is complicated by questions of democratic standards and the rule of law. At the same time, Vucic maintains close ties with Russia and has refused to join Western sanctions against Moscow. Deutsche Welle also notes that the vote comes six months after Peter Magyar's victory in Hungary, where he defeated Vucic's ally Viktor Orban — the student movement hopes to repeat that scenario. Polling stations closed at 8:00 p.m. local time (7:00 p.m. GMT); results had not been announced at the time of publication.

Why it matters

The outcome will determine whether the SNS keeps the power it has held since 2012, and who will lead the EU candidate country amid questions about the rule of law. For Serbian voters, the practical consequence is already visible: an unprecedented surge in turnout and mass election monitoring are changing the very format of voting compared with 2023. Results will be known after the votes are counted, and until then it is premature to speak of a winner.