Serbian Strongman Vucic Concedes Defeat in Snap Elections

Celebrations on the streets of Belgrade. Photo: BIRN. “I would like to inform you that, based on the stratified sample, it is clear that we have lost this election,” said Aleksandar Vucic, former president and leader of the Serbian Progressive Party’s “United Serbia” electoral list. Speaking at around 9:30 pm on Sunday, Vucic announced preliminary results suggesting that the opposition Student List was leading in Serbia’s closely watched snap parliamentary elections, with around 135-140 seats compared to 105 for the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS). Besides these two lists, only minority lists crossed the electoral threshold. “This was a verification of a revolution that they carried out directly with support of various European countries, and the US’s deep state, the one that is against President Trump,” Vucic said in a press conference. Serbian election watchdog CRTA said that according to preliminary results, Student List won 51.5 per cent and Vucic’s United Serbia won 40.2 per cent. Celebrations erupted on the streets of Belgrade following the announcement of the preliminary election results that showed Student List in the lead, with supporters gathering in the city centre to celebrate the apparent victory. Radomir Saicic, a Student List candidate, said, “Tonight, the citizens of Serbia have shown that no obstacle is greater than their will, no fear is stronger than their courage, and no force can forever overpower a people determined to take their destiny into their own hands.” He said preliminary results showed Student List was leading convincingly at all polling stations, but stressed that the evening was about more than election results. “It is about the people, all those who believed when things were hardest, who did not give up when they were told nothing could change, and who, despite everything, continued to fight,” Saicic said. He described the outcome as “a victory for the belief that Serbia can and must be different.” Serbia’s snap parliamentary elections on Sunday saw exceptionally high voter turnout as the ruling SNS faced its greatest electoral challenge in 14 years from Student List, which emerged from the student-led protest movement following the Novi Sad railway station disaster in November 2024. Polling stations closed at 8 pm, although voters already waiting in line were allowed to cast their ballots. The Republic Electoral Commission (RIK) said official preliminary results would be published progressively as polling station reports were processed. Long queues formed outside polling stations throughout the day. According to RIK, voter turnout reached 64.9 per cent by 6 pm, compared to 51.93 per cent at the same time during the 2023 parliamentary elections, an increase of nearly 13 percentage points. CRTA programme director Rasa Nedeljkov announced during the evening that the organisation had observed a “series of irregularities involving the obstruction of polling station committee members and pressure on voters.” He added that CRTA had never recorded such a high percentage of irregularities involving the photographing of ballots in any previous election. The rate of ballot photographing was particularly high in Belgrade, where it was documented in 80 per cent of the polling stations CRTA monitored in the city. However, RIK president Vladimir Dimitrijevic described the incidents as mostly minor, saying polling boards had resolved most problems and police had intervened where necessary. Several violent incidents were also reported. In Pancevo, prosecutors launched an investigation into a fight involving masked individuals outside a polling station. In Pavlovac, near Vranje, two journalists were attacked while reporting, with two suspects subsequently arrested. Meanwhile, there was renewed activity in Pioneers Park, popularly known as “Cacilend”, a camp associated with SNS supporters. Groups of hooded men dressed in black were seen heading towards the area, while trucks delivered tents and other equipment and new tents were being erected. Police officers were also seen allowing groups of masked men to enter Cacilend. A BIRN journalist, however, was denied access despite identifying himself as a member of the press. The groups of hooded men were later seen leaving “Cacilend” after Vucic conceded defeat.