Serbian President Vučić concedes election defeat as opposition supporters celebrate in Belgrade

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić conceded on Sunday, 25 October, that his ruling party had lost the country's snap parliamentary election. Supporters of the student-backed opposition movement gathered and celebrated in the capital, Belgrade, after the announcement. The result marks a major turning point in Serbian politics: the party had dominated the country for years, while protests against the government had gone on for nearly two years.

Record participation

As voting closed, election officials began counting ballots at polling stations across the capital. Preliminary figures from Serbia's election commission indicate the highest turnout in a parliamentary election in more than three decades. The contest pitted the governing party against a broad opposition movement and was closely watched.

How the protests began

The election followed a long wave of demonstrations triggered by the collapse of a concrete canopy at the railway station in Novi Sad in November 2024, which killed 16 people. The disaster provoked widespread anger over alleged corruption and failures of public oversight. Students became the driving force of the protests, which spread across Serbia.

The student movement gradually drew in people from different political backgrounds, united by demands for accountability and political change. Vučić's concession on Sunday brought a dramatic end to the electoral contest, with supporters of the student-led movement gathering in Belgrade to mark the defeat of the party.