Serbian Politics: Student List Secures 53% Majority

The Student List secured 53% of the vote in Serbia's parliamentary election, winning 141 of the 250 seats in the national assembly. The result gave the movement a decisive majority and forced the end of a 14-year ruling period by the Serbian Progressive party. Aleksandar Vučić conceded defeat late on Sunday, ending his control of the state apparatus.

Official projections from the Centre for Free Elections and Democracy in Belgrade, based on 100% of ballot samples, showed the SNS winning 39% of the vote and 103 seats. National minority lists captured the remaining seats. The Student List has no formal leader, hierarchy, or prior experience in government. It plans to begin talks on forming a cabinet immediately, despite the lack of a designated prime minister candidate.

The movement's platform centers on dismantling institutions loyal to the previous regime. Key figures include Ilija Srdanović, a cardiologist who headed the candidate list; Dejan Šoškić, a former central bank governor; and Radomir Saičić, a chemistry professor at Belgrade University who addressed supporters after the win. The group includes academics, actors, and farmers, relying on collective decision-making rather than individual leadership.

Ana Mirković, a university educationist and candidate, stated the movement views its victory as taking on a historic debt to the people and children. She identified the social and psychological detoxification of the country as the first priority. The platform promises to create an independent police unit accountable to prosecutors, purge officers linked to organized crime, and ban party loyalists from state-owned companies.

Mirković said the new government will dismantle a system of intimidation by urgently opening up the media and stopping pressure on public-sector workers. The aim is to rebuild society from the ground up through full disclosure of contracts and depoliticizing the judiciary. She added that state capture should never again be possible through these structural changes.

Analysts note the Student List faces a complex institutional landscape. Dušan Vučićević, an analyst, said the movement insisted on addressing domestic political issues first, from the national to the local level. He told Agence France-Presse that while the grassroots model secured over 50% of the vote, it remains unclear if the structure could work in other countries. Nikola Burazer, programme director at the Belgrade-based Centre for Contemporary Politics, said the movement's decision-making process needs to be sped up after a lengthy candidate selection period.

Vučić blamed his defeat on direct support from European countries and the US deep state. He cited opposition to President Trump as a factor in the election outcome. The Student List kept foreign policy issues, including relations with the EU and Russia, in the background during the campaign. The Kremlin said on Monday it hoped the new leaders understand that cooperation with Russia is in Serbia's interests.

International leaders reacted on Monday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the result a new chapter in the country's history and thanked Serbia for respecting Ukrainian independence. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Berlin would actively support Serbia's European path, noting that the students' demand for the rule of law reached the people. The movement's win comes after two years of anti-government protests triggered by the collapse of a canopy at the Novi Sad railway station that killed 16 people.

Serbia's constitution requires the new parliament to convene within 30 days of the official election result. The government must be formed within 90 days of that convening. The country must also hold new presidential elections before 27 December, as Vučić stepped down to run for prime minister.