{"id":1208,"date":"2026-10-25T22:00:47","date_gmt":"2026-10-25T22:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/2026\/10\/25\/serbias-vucic-concedes-defeat-against-student-led-opposition-movement-national-globalnews-ca\/"},"modified":"2026-10-25T22:00:47","modified_gmt":"2026-10-25T22:00:47","slug":"serbias-vucic-concedes-defeat-against-student-led-opposition-movement-national-globalnews-ca","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/2026\/10\/25\/serbias-vucic-concedes-defeat-against-student-led-opposition-movement-national-globalnews-ca\/","title":{"rendered":"Serbia\u2019s Vucic concedes defeat against student-led opposition movement – National | Globalnews.ca"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\n

The long-serving strongman leader of Serbia<\/a>, Aleksandar Vucic<\/a>, conceded defeat on Sunday in an election that pitted him and his right-wing party against a diverse student-led opposition movement that spent two years protesting his government.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

It was a seismic political shift in the Balkan country where Vucic, who had been endorsed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and who denounced the student movement as a foreign-led attempt to unseat him, led with virtually absolute power for 14 years.<\/p>\n

High turnout and gathering tensions marked the highly contested parliamentary election that was a showdown between Vucic and his right-wing Serbian Progressive Party and university students who, accusing the government of corruption and dismantling democracy, had built a popular following across the country.<\/p>\n

Serbia\u2019s 6.4 million voters were electing lawmakers to the 250-member Parliament. In conceding the election, Vucic said his party projects that his opponents, the youth-backed Students\u2019 List, will take between 135 and 140 seats while his SNS party will have around 105.<\/p>\n

\n

Story continues below advertisement<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cThe Students\u2019 List has won,\u201d Vucic told supporters at his party\u2019s election night event, though he blamed Serbia\u2019s independent media as well as alleged interference by unnamed European countries and an \u201dAmerican deep state\u201d for the loss.<\/p>\n

Belgrade erupts in celebration<\/h3>\n

Vucic said that his SNS party won around 1.7 million votes compared to the Students\u2019 List, which he said took around 2.2 million.<\/p>\n

Supporters of the Students\u2019 List immediately flooded onto the streets of Belgrade and other cities, honking horns, shouting and chanting: \u201cAleksandar is gone,\u201d referring to Vucic.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Click
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

The outcome, which Vucic announced only around an hour and a half after polls closed, came after tensions had built as voting progressed during the day.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\t\t\"Get\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n
\n

Get breaking National news<\/h2>\n

Get breaking Canada news delivered to your inbox as it happens so you won’t miss a trending story.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Police in anti-riot gear cordoned off an area in central Belgrade around the election commission headquarters. Special police vehicles could be seen near a Belgrade park where Vucic\u2019s loyalists have been camping for over a year, and large groups of black-clad men had congregated at various points throughout the city.<\/p>\n

\n

Story continues below advertisement<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Protests over corruption lead to Vucic\u2019s fall<\/h3>\n

Vucic was seeking become Serbia\u2019s prime minister after serving two near-full terms as president. He resigned the presidency last month to lead the campaign.<\/p>\n

Support for the populist had eroded since 16 people were killed in 2024 when a concrete canopy collapsed at a train station in Novi Sad. That set off a wave of youth protests that blamed the collapse on high-level corruption, cronyism and rampant graft during renovation work at the station.<\/p>\n

Despite the protests, Vucic retained considerable support among many of Serbia\u2019s voters. Admirers viewed him as a capable leader who can steer the nation through global uncertainties \u2014 the image that was carefully crafted by the mainstream media.<\/p>\n

Student movement<\/h3>\n

While the increasingly authoritarian Vucic has routinely outplayed Serbia\u2019s fractured opposition in the past, the leaderless youth movement proved to be a tough opponent that rattled his firm grip on power in Serbia like no one else in the 14 years since his party took office.<\/p>\n

The newly formed Students\u2019 List movement was shaped by university students but none actually appeared on the election list. Instead, its candidates are little-known experts, athletes, farmers and artists.<\/p>\n

\n

\n\t\t\t