Serbia: Vučić concedes defeat as Student List wins majority
After 14 years in power, Aleksandar Vučić has conceded defeat in the snap election. He says the Student List will take 135 to 140 of 250 seats and his SNS around 105.
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In a political earthquake for Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić conceded defeat in Sunday's snap parliamentary election. "It is clear that we have lost these elections," he said about an hour and a half after polls closed, citing a sample of the vote. He said the Student List would win 135 to 140 of the 250 seats and his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) around 105. A majority requires 126 seats. Official final results are still pending.
Turnout was the highest since the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1992: the election commission put it at 64.9 percent by 6 p.m. Thousands celebrated in Belgrade. "Let this night be the beginning of a new chapter," said a Student List candidate. A representative sample by CeSID pollsters puts the list at 138 seats and the SNS at 104. The monitoring group CRTA, however, reported pressure on voters at almost a third of the polling stations it observed.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU stands ready to support reforms on the rule of law, media freedom and the fight against corruption. The protest movement began after a railway station canopy collapsed in Novi Sad in November 2024, killing 16 people. OSCE election observers are due to present their first conclusions on Monday.