Serbia Sees Highest Voter Turnout in Decades Amid Student-Led Challenge to Longtime Leader Vucic

Polls have closed in Serbia’s snap parliamentary election, which witnessed the highest voter turnout in decades. A student-backed movement aiming to unseat longtime leader Aleksandar Vucic was a significant factor in the election. Voting concluded at 8 PM local time (19:00 GMT) on Sunday, with initial results anticipated a few hours later. This election will determine if Vucic’s Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), in power since 2012, can maintain its hold against a movement that originated from nationwide anticorruption protests.

The State Election Commission reported that voter turnout reached 64.9 percent by 17:00 GMT, marking the highest figure since the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1992. While a higher turnout does not definitively indicate which side garnered more support, University of Belgrade researcher Jelena Vasiljevic noted that the SNS possesses a stable voter base, whereas the students needed to mobilize individuals who typically do not vote. Sunday's voting was also marred by reports of intimidation and procedural issues.

The Centre for Research, Transparency and Accountability (CRTA), an independent election watchdog, documented voter or election worker pressure at nearly a third of the 500 polling stations it monitored. The organization also reported breaches in maintaining ballot secrecy. By 5 PM (16:00 GMT), the Centre for Free Elections and Democracy (CeSID), another election-monitoring group, had received approximately 260 reports of potential irregularities, including ballot photography, group voting, and identification verification challenges.

In Belgrade, police in riot gear were stationed near the election commission’s headquarters, where roads were closed and barricades erected. City prosecutors urged all parties involved in the election to refrain from violence. The election follows almost two years of student-led protests that commenced after a railway station canopy collapse in Novi Sad in November 2024, which resulted in 16 fatalities. The initial demands for accountability evolved into a broader movement against alleged government corruption and repression, accusations that Vucic and the SNS deny.

The Student List – Students Win, a movement that emerged from these demonstrations, is presenting candidates from various professions, including medicine and education. Many of these candidates lack prior political experience. The movement advocates for stronger institutions and an end to corruption. Some established opposition parties have lent their support to the students instead of fielding their own candidates.

Aleksandar Vucic stepped down as president in September to contest the prime minister position, promising improvements in pensions, public-sector wages, and investment. His supporters attribute Serbia’s economic modernization to his leadership. Approximately six and a half million citizens were eligible to vote for 250 parliamentary seats, with 18 electoral lists competing for representation. A majority of 126 seats is required to form a government.