Serbia’s Parliamentary Elections of 25 October 2026: The Unleashing of Student Power in the Central Balkans
Voters went to the polls in Serbia between 7 AM and 8 PM local time on 25 October 2026, joined by their compatriots in 93 overseas polling stations, to elect their representatives to the 250-member National Assembly (Narodna skupština)- Serbia’s unicameral legislature. The encouraging turnout of close to 70%, the highest since the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1992, gives a reasonably accurate indication of the opinions of the nation’s 6.45 million registered voters. Aleksandar Vučić’s Serbian Progressive Party (Srpska Napredna Stranka; SNS), part of the United Serbia List, which included political allies from the Bosniak and Hungarian minorities, faced the Student List (Studentska lista), a student-led, decentralised, and leaderless coalition of grassroots activists from a variety of backgrounds. The students, none of whom stood as candidates themselves, campaigned on an 11-point programme for the reform of Serbia’s political institutions, judiciary, public finances, media outlets, education and healthcare systems, and local government. Represented for electoral purposes by selected academics, professionals, athletes, farmers, artistes, and other public figures, finally chosen on 6 September, the Student List secured 2.2 million votes (52% of the total) to 1.72 million (32.3%) for the SNS. As no other party managed to cross the 3% electoral threshold, Serbia has effectively been transformed into a two-party state for the time being.
Vučić rapidly conceded defeat in a statement to the nation, confirming that “the Student List has won and will have between 135 and 140 seats, while we will have around 105.” In his opinion, he was the victim of a “revolution that was made up of support directly from different European countries and the deep American state, the one that is against President Trump”. Vučić had announced his resignation on 27 September, seven months before his second and final five-year term ended, setting up a snap election on 25 October. Under Serbia’s constitution, Arna Brnabić, president of the National Assembly of Serbia since 2024, took over as acting President of Serbia on 28 September 2026.
Aleksandar Vučić’s Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) has been in power since 2012. Vučić, a right-wing Serbian nationalist who simultaneously aligned with Russia and China while also seeking to join the EU, served as deputy prime minister (2012-2014) and prime minister (2014-2017) before taking over as President in 2017. As an increasingly authoritarian President, he oversaw growing corruption, suppression of the media, cronyism, and a deterioration in the provision of public services.
On 1 November 2024, a concrete roof canopy at the railway station in Novi Sad, second-largest city in Serbia, collapsed unexpectedly following renovation work, killing sixteen people. This tragedy was one too many, immediately triggering student-led protests against corrupt practices in public procurement in relation to the construction sector to begin with, which spread to include other issues and involve other sections of Serbian society, including academics and opposition leaders. The Independent Commission of Inquiry for Establishing the Responsibility for the Collapse of the Novi Sad Railway Station, comprising a group of university professors, legal experts, and former judges of Serbia’s Supreme Court, published its final report-titled ‘Collapse of the Canopy – Collapse of the System, One Year Later’-on 15 October 2025. The collapse of the canopy was attributed to “the actions of an organized criminal group” and it was noted that “there are grounds for suspicion that the president of the Republic is at the head of that group”. Ever since the Novi Sad disaster, Serbian students have been coordinating nationwide mass anti-corruption protests, despite government crackdowns.
Vučić’s support for the discredited Bosnian Serb leadership also came under fire, both at home and from both Serbia’s European allies and the EU. The Political Assembly of the European People’s Party (EPP), of which the SNS is part, met in Toulouse on 28 and 29 September 2026. In a statement issued on 29 September, the senior leadership of the EPP noted that “The scenes from the funeral of convicted war criminal Ratko Mladić in Belgrade were deeply disturbing. Mladić was responsible for the Srebrenica genocide and a string of the gravest war crimes committed during the wars in the former Yugoslavia. His crimes were established by international courts and must never be relativised, glorified, or forgotten. Instead of confronting this dark legacy, we have witnessed public and state honours at his funeral, the participation of senior Serbian officials, and an open outpouring of support in public places”
Serbia’s parliamentary election results have prompted joyous celebrations in the capital city of Belgrade, Novi Sad, Niš, and other urban centres, but it is too early to judge whether Serbia has definitely turned a corner and chosen a new direction of travel, particularly since Vučić’ has promised that his victorious opponents will be defeated “faster than they think.” The important matter of identifying who will actually govern Serbia also remains unclear, while a Presidential election has been set to be held by 26 December. The early signs are, however, that meaningful and lasting change remain a distinct possibility.
Ashis Banerjee