Key points
- The Student List won about 2.2 million votes to about 1.7 million for the SNS, taking a projected about 138 of 250 seats.
- Turnout was nearly 70 percent, the highest since the break-up of Yugoslavia in 1992.
- The movement began after the Novi Sad railway station canopy collapse in November 2024, in which 16 people were killed, and ran for nearly two years.
- The figures are election-night projections, not final certified results.
- Vucic conceded on television on Sunday night: “It is clear that we have lost these elections, the Student List has won.”
“It is clear that we have lost these elections, the Student List has won.”
— Aleksandar Vucic, conceding on television on Sunday night
Serbia's student-led movement has defeated Aleksandar Vucic in a snap election held on Sunday 25 October 2026. Vucic conceded the election on television on Sunday night, telling viewers: "It is clear that we have lost these elections, the Student List has won." Crowds celebrated in Belgrade.
The result ends fourteen years of rule by Vucic's party, the SNS, and makes the Student List the largest force in Serbia's parliament.
The result in numbers
| Party / list | Votes (approx.) | Seats (election-night projection) | Share of votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Student List | About 2.2 million | About 138 | 52% |
| SNS (Vucic's party) | About 1.7 million | About 105 | 39.3% |
Parliament has 250 seats in total. Turnout was nearly 70 percent, the highest since the break-up of Yugoslavia in 1992. The figures above are election-night projections, not final certified results: Vucic's own count put the Student List at 135 to 140 seats and his party at around 105, while a CeSID-Ipsos sample put the split at 138 to 104. A later count with almost 99 percent of votes counted put the split at 139 seats to 97. Read more: Mass protests sweep France as 410,000 march over living costs and school conditions
How a protest movement reached parliament
The election result follows nearly two years of student protests. The protests began after the Novi Sad railway station canopy collapse in November 2024, in which 16 people were killed.
Over the following two years, the student-led movement grew into the largest political force in the country, and its list has now won a parliamentary majority.
What happens next
Europe Unfolded will follow what the new parliament does next, and what the result means for Serbia's politics and its relationship with Europe.
Watch our coverage
Europe Unfolded's video report on the Serbia election is published on the channel.
Watch: Students Defeat Vucic in Serbia on YouTube
Updates & corrections
Published 27 October 2026.
Corrections made 27 October 2026: the standfirst now labels the 138-seat figure as a projection; Vucic is no longer called President, because he resigned the presidency on 27 September 2026 to run for parliament; one source date was corrected.
Sources and notes
- Reuters, via The Times of Israel (26 October 2026), on the televised concession, the quote above, the 135–140 to 105 seat projection, the Novi Sad canopy collapse and the Belgrade celebrations: timesofisrael.com
- Reuters, via ThePrint (25 October 2026), on turnout of nearly 70 percent, the CeSID-Ipsos sample of 138 to 104 seats, and the Novi Sad deaths: theprint.in
- CGTN (26 October 2026), on the Ipsos/CeSID projections of 52 percent to 39.3 percent, the 135–140 to about 105 seat range, and the vote totals of about 2.2 million to about 1.72 million: news.cgtn.com
- The Hindu (26 October 2026), on the 14 years in power, the two years of protests, the Novi Sad canopy collapse killing 16 people, and the record turnout: thehindu.com
- Telegraph India (26 October 2026), on the later count of 52.7 percent to 39.2 percent and 139 seats to 97 with almost 99 percent of votes counted: telegraphindia.com
- Europe Unfolded video coverage of the Serbia snap election: https://youtu.be/Z9AcHb5nBRo