Serbian Leader Aleksandar Vucic Ousted by Student-Led Movement in Snap Elections

Aleksandar Vucic, the leader of the right-wing Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), has conceded defeat in snap parliamentary elections. The vote saw a student-led movement, which organized protests against him for nearly two years, emerge victorious. Vucic announced his concession after preliminary results indicated his electoral list would secure 105 seats in Serbia’s 250-member parliament, falling short of the 135 to 140 seats projected for the Student List. Voter turnout for the election reached its highest point in over three decades.

The student movement gained momentum following a tragic incident on November 1, 2024, when 16 people died after a train station canopy collapsed in Novi Sad. These initial protests evolved into a broader social unrest, culminating in the formation of the Student List political platform. Their campaign focused on combating corruption, depoliticizing public institutions, and reinstating citizens' rights. Ilija Srdanovic, a professor at the Faculty of Medicine in Novi Sad, led the movement during the election campaign.

Vucic, a former ultranationalist, had cultivated an image as a pragmatic leader maintaining relationships with the European Union, Russia, China, and increasingly, Israel. He entered politics in 1993, joining the ultranationalist Serbian Radical Party. His early political career was marked by nationalist rhetoric, including a controversial statement made in the Serbian parliament in July 1995. Vucic's political mentor, Vojislav Seselj, was later sentenced for war crimes committed in the 1990s. Vucic and Tomislav Nikolic founded the SNS in 2008, aiming for a more mainstream European political approach.

Serbian journalist Safeta Bisevac noted that Vucic initially trailed Nikolic in popularity but was instrumental in organizing the new party. The SNS came to power in 2012 with promises to address corruption and organized crime, though Bisevac suggests the fight against corruption yielded modest results while state institutions, media, and political life became increasingly controlled by the authorities. Vucic held key positions, including first deputy prime minister and prime minister, before becoming president in 2017 and winning re-election in 2022. His term was set to continue until 2027, but he resigned in September, calling for early elections under pressure from the student-led protests.

Despite constitutional limitations on the Serbian presidency, Vucic maintained significant influence over his party and state policy. Political scientist Dusko Radosavljevic commented that the students articulated the