Serbia has entered a new political era. The student-led Student List has won a decisive victory in the country’s snap parliamentary election, ending more than a decade of dominance by Aleksandar Vučić and his Serbian Progressive Party.
Early projections gave the Student List about 52 per cent of the vote, compared with roughly 39 per cent for Vučić’s coalition. The movement is expected to win between 135 and 140 seats in the 250-member parliament, comfortably above the 126 needed for an absolute majority.
Vučić conceded defeat on election night, saying: “It is clear that we have lost these elections.” Yet he quickly accused his opponents of lying and claimed they were carrying out the will of foreign powers, remarks that reflected the bitterness of a campaign that had become a referendum on his long rule.
The Student List grew out of nearly two years of anti-corruption protests. The movement was galvanised by the collapse of a railway-station canopy in Novi Sad in 2024, which killed 16 people and became a symbol of public anger over official negligence and impunity.
Turnout reached nearly 70 per cent, the highest since the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1992. As the result became clear, tens of thousands poured into Belgrade’s streets, singing, dancing and celebrating outside the Student List’s headquarters.
The joy travelled far beyond Serbia. In Vienna, long queues formed outside the Serbian consulate on polling day as members of the diaspora waited to cast their ballots.
Later that night, dozens of young Serbs gathered at the Beertija bar in Vienna-Neubau to celebrate the result. As news of Vučić’s defeat spread, the crowd sang “Bella Ciao”, the Italian anti-fascist song long associated with resistance and political change.
For many in the Serbian community abroad, the song captured more than celebration. It expressed relief, defiance and hope that a country shaped for years by one man’s authority might now begin a democratic renewal
