Serbia's Vucic concedes defeat in historic election win for student protest movement
Aleksandar Vucic has conceded defeat in Serbia's parliamentary elections to a student-led protest movement. The shift marks the end of Vucic's long-standing political dominance following years of civil unrest and corruption allegations.
Why it matters
This represents a significant democratic transition in the Balkans and may serve as a model for student-led political movements across Europe.
Aleksandar Vucic has held power in Serbia since 2014, and his defeat heralds a new political era for the Balkan country.
Serbia's former President and the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) prime ministerial candidate Aleksandar Vucic concedes defeat during the parliamentary election in Belgrade, Serbia, on Oct 25, 2026. (Photo: Reuters/Zorana Jevtic)
BELGRADE: Serbia's Aleksandar Vucic conceded defeat to a student-led protest movement in a historic election on Sunday (Oct 25) that ends his long grip on power and heralds a new political era in the Balkan country.
Vucic, a populist and nationalist, has dominated Serbian politics as prime minister or president since 2014.
But he called snap elections in September after almost two years of student-led demonstrations against perceived corruption and creeping authoritarianism triggered by the deaths of 16 people when a train station canopy collapsed in the city of Novi Sad in 2024.
Also covering this story
16 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
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