Tens of thousands of people flooded the streets of Serbia’s capital on Sunday night, bringing traffic to a halt and celebrating after long-time leader Aleksandar Vucic conceded defeat in parliamentary elections to a student-backed opposition movement.
asserted
Vucic → flood → movement
Trams and vehicles were halted as crowds filled the city’s main boulevards, with smoke hanging in the air and supporters waving flares.
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supporters → halt → flares
The celebrations marked the culmination of a two-year protest movement that had called for Vucic to step down and for an end to what demonstrators described as rampant corruption — allegations the leader has denied.
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leader → mark → allegations
The election marks a major political shift in the Balkan country, where Vucic and his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) had held power for 14 years.
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Vucic → mark → years
Vucic said his party’s projections showed the Students’ List winning between 135 and 140 seats in the 250-member Parliament, compared with around 105 for the SNS.
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List → say → SNS
“The Students’ List has won,” Vucic told supporters at his party’s election-night event.
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Vucic → win → event
He blamed independent media, unnamed European countries and what he called an “American deep state” for the defeat.
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he → blame → defeat
“That is the best thing that happened in my life.
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that → happen → life
We will now breathe freely,” Milica, a law student, told Reuters said as supporters celebrated in Belgrade.
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supporters → breathe → Belgrade
Vucic had served as either prime minister or president since 2014 and presided over a period of strong economic growth.
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Vucic → serve → growth
But his government faced mounting opposition after a railway station canopy collapsed in Novi Sad in November 2024, killing 16 people.
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canopy → face → people
The disaster triggered student-led protests over alleged corruption, cronyism and irregularities in renovation work.
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disaster → trigger → work
The Students’ List was shaped by university students, though students themselves did not appear on the electoral list.
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students → shape → list
Instead, it fielded 250 candidates, including lawyers, professors, actors, farmers and other professionals, in an effort to challenge Vucic’s personalised style of rule and build a broader, non-partisan movement.
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it → field → movement
At the movement’s headquarters, candidates and supporters embraced and cheered as the scale of their victory sank in.
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scale → embrace → victory
“The people have won!
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people → win → ?
The people defeated a dictator!
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people → defeat → dictator
The people will lead Serbia!” said Nebojsa Cosic told Reuters, waving a flag in the street.
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Cosic → lead → street
The movement’s campaign focused on rebuilding the economy and restoring democracy, drawing support from voters disillusioned with established political parties.
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campaign → focus → parties
Supporters travelled by bicycle and on foot through the country to reach voters in rural areas that had traditionally backed Vucic.
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that → travel → Vucic
The election was closely watched by the European Union, as Serbia is a candidate for membership.
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Serbia → watch → membership
Monitors reported dozens of suspected irregularities, including ballot photographing that suggested pressure on voters and attempted vote-buying.
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that → report → voters
International and local observers had also raised concerns about detentions, extensive government control over the media, and reports of surveillance and cyberattacks targeting activists.
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observers → raise → activists
The student-backed victory echoed a recent electoral defeat for Vucic ally Viktor Orbán in Hungary and could resonate across Europe, where youth-led protests have challenged governments over political and economic grievances.
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protests → back → grievances
The movement now faces the challenge of translating its electoral victory into government, while voters and international observers await the next steps in Serbia’s political transition.
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voters → face → transition
The Aporia
