Former Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has publicly acknowledged that his party suffered a defeat in the snap parliamentary elections held on October 25. According to his preliminary estimates, the opposition 'Student List' is projected to secure between 135 and 140 seats in parliament, while Vucic's Serbian Progressive Party is left with approximately 105 mandates, though final official results have not yet been officially released by election authorities.

According to reports by DW, Vucic delivered a speech addressing his supporters at the party headquarters in Belgrade, where he admitted the unfavorable outcome. He claimed that the results leave no room for doubt and that no other political entities managed to cross the threshold into parliament, signaling a profound shift in the country's political landscape amid growing public discontent.

Data from the Serbian Central Election Commission indicated that voter turnout reached 64.9 percent by 6:00 PM local time, just two hours before the polling stations closed. Observers noted that this figure represents a record high since the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1992, highlighting intense civic mobilization and societal friction surrounding the electoral process.

Reports from the Serbian newspaper Danas indicate that following Vucic's concession, crowds of citizens took to the streets of Belgrade to celebrate the opposition's apparent victory. The student movement itself originated in the wake of massive protests triggered by the tragic roof collapse at the Novi Sad railway station in November 2024, which claimed 16 lives—a disaster that critics heavily blamed on widespread corruption and state negligence.

Vucic had previously stepped down from the presidency at the end of September. It was widely reported that he intended to transition to the role of head of government if his party maintained its parliamentary majority, but the sudden electoral setback appears to have severely disrupted those political ambitions.

Source: kun.uz