> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://bullquill.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Serbia election: Vucic concedes, ending 14 years of SNS rule - URL: https://bullquill.com/vucic-concedes-serbia-election-student-list/ - Published: 2026-10-25T23:41:10.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-26T00:27:42.000Z - Description: Vucic's own sample puts his Serbian Progressive Party at about 105 of 250 seats, short of the 126 needed for a majority. Turnout reached 64.9% by 17:00 UTC, the highest since Yugoslavia broke up, and final official results are still pending. - Author: Rowan Ashby - Tags: World, Breaking, Trending, Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, Serbian Progressive Party, Student List, Serbia Election 2026, #lang-en, #tr-vucic-concedes-serbia-election-student-list ## Key takeaways - Aleksandar Vucic said on Sunday evening, October 25, that "it is clear that we have lost these elections", according to Al Jazeera and ABC News. - Vucic's own sample gives the Student List 135 to 140 of 250 seats and his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) list about 105\. A majority needs 126. - CeSID–Ipsos projections reported by ABC News put the Student List on 138 seats and the SNS on 104\. Final official results are still pending. - Turnout reached 64.9% by 17:00 UTC, according to the State Election Commission. That is the highest level since Yugoslavia broke up. Aleksandar Vucic conceded the Serbia election on Sunday, October 25, after preliminary counts showed the student-led Student List winning a majority in the 250-seat National Assembly, ending 14 years of rule by his Serbian Progressive Party. ## What happened in Serbia's election Polls closed at 20:00 local time (19:00 UTC). Shortly afterwards Vucic made a brief televised statement. "We still do not have final results \[but\] on the basis of a sample … it is clear that we have lost these elections," he said, as quoted by ABC News. He said the Student List would take between 135 and 140 seats and his list about 105, according to Al Jazeera and Euronews. Euronews first published its report at 20:51 UTC. In it, Vucic also said a party of the Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians (SVM) would win three seats and an Albanian minority list would win one. He gave vote totals of about 2.2 million for the Student List and 1.72 million for the SNS. The election commission has not yet confirmed these numbers. A party needs 126 seats to govern alone. If the projections hold, the Student List can form a government without coalition partners. | Indicator | Student List | SNS (Vucic) | Source | | ----------------------------- | ---------------- | ----------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------ | | Seats, Vucic's sample | 135–140 | \~105 | Vucic statement, via Al Jazeera / Euronews | | Seats, CeSID–Ipsos projection | 138 | 104 | ABC News | | Votes, Vucic's estimate | \~2.2 million | \~1.72 million | Euronews | | Majority threshold | 126 of 250 seats | Al Jazeera | | | Turnout at 17:00 UTC | 64.9% | State Election Commission, via Al Jazeera | | Figures are preliminary as of 22:00 UTC on October 25, 2026. ## Reaction in Belgrade ABC News reported that crowds in Belgrade celebrated through the night. Cars honked, and students chanted "victory." Radomir Saicic, a Belgrade University law professor and Student List candidate, spoke at the movement's headquarters. "Tonight we celebrate victory. Tomorrow we build the future," he said, according to ABC News. Al Jazeera quoted him as saying the students were "convincingly leading" at almost every polling station. Al Jazeera reported that riot police were deployed near the election commission building in Belgrade before the result was known. Some roads were also closed, and city prosecutors urged everyone to avoid violence. ## What we know and what we don't know yet **Known:** Vucic has publicly accepted defeat. Two separate projections, his own sample and CeSID–Ipsos, both give the Student List a clear majority. Turnout was unusually high. **Not yet known:** - The final official count and seat allocation from the State Election Commission. - Which smaller parties will pass the 3% threshold. Euronews said it was "too early" to judge. - Who the Student List will put forward as prime minister. ABC News reports that the list is led by cardiologist Ilija Srdanovic but that its choice for prime minister is unclear. - Vucic's own political future. Observers also flagged problems during voting. The watchdog CRTA reported pressure on voters or poll workers at nearly a third of the 500 polling stations it monitored. CeSID had received about 260 reports of irregularities by 16:00 UTC, according to Al Jazeera. Neither group has said whether the problems could affect the overall result. ## Background: from the Novi Sad collapse to a snap vote The movement began after a concrete canopy collapsed at Novi Sad railway station in November 2024, killing 16 people. Student protests over accountability then grew into a nationwide campaign against what protesters call corruption and creeping authoritarianism. Vucic and the SNS deny those accusations. Vucic has also called the movement a foreign-backed effort to remove him. Vucic resigned as president in September to lead his party's list and run for prime minister, according to Al Jazeera and Euronews. Bullquill covered the campaign's closing days in [our report on the students' final Belgrade rally](https://bullquill.com/serbia-students-final-rally-before-snap-election/). About 6.5 million people were eligible to vote, with 18 lists competing. The Student List's 250 candidates are mostly new to politics. They include doctors, teachers, professors, actors and farmers. Several established opposition parties stood aside to back the list instead of running their own candidates. ## What it means If the official count confirms the projections, this will be the first change of ruling party in Serbia since 2012\. ABC News reports that analysts expect a new government to replace Vucic allies in the police, security services and ministries. The students have said they will focus at home on fighting corruption and improving education. Foreign policy is less clear. Serbia is a candidate to join the European Union, and the EU is its largest trading partner. Russia supplies most of Serbia's natural gas, and China is a major investor. Euronews notes that a new government will also face decisions on Kosovo, energy and public finances. For more coverage, see our [Serbia](https://bullquill.com/tag/serbia/) and [Aleksandar Vucic](https://bullquill.com/tag/aleksandar-vucic/) topic pages. ## Frequently asked questions ### Who won the Serbia election 2026? The Student List won, according to preliminary counts. Aleksandar Vucic conceded on October 25, 2026\. His own sample gave the student-led list 135 to 140 of 250 seats, and CeSID–Ipsos projected 138\. Final official results from the State Election Commission were still pending. ### How many seats are needed for a majority in Serbia's parliament? A list needs 126 of the 250 seats in the National Assembly to form a government on its own. ### Why did Serbia hold a snap election? The vote came after almost two years of student-led protests. They began when a railway station canopy collapsed in Novi Sad in November 2024, killing 16 people. Vucic resigned as president in September 2026 to run for prime minister in the early parliamentary election. ### What was the turnout in Serbia's election? The State Election Commission reported 64.9% turnout by 6pm local time (17:00 UTC). Al Jazeera reported that this was the highest since Yugoslavia broke up in 1992.