A leaderless student-led movement, the Student List, has defeated Aleksandar Vucic in a snap Serbia election, ending his 14 years in power. According to the Straits Times, the movement swept Vucic from power in a historic vote on Sunday. The country is now forming a new government, and no prime minister has been named.
Vucic conceded defeat of his right-wing Serbian Progressive Party to the grass-roots Student List about an hour and a half after polls closed, according to the South China Morning Post. The Post is a Hong Kong outlet.
Euronews reported that Vucic was defeated by a movement with "no single leader" and "no charismatic figure", and that no clear name has been designated as prime minister.
Marko Prelec, an analyst with the International Crisis Group, told Euronews that the Student List won "purely on the strength of their promise to turn the page" on Vucic, rather than on a coherent platform.
Radomir Saicic, an organic chemistry professor and member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SANU), was the public face of the students’ win. According to the Straits Times, he took the podium at the group’s headquarters and called the result a "citizens’ victory".
The Straits Times also named possible candidates for leadership. They include economist Dejan Soskic, 59, a former central bank governor, and cardiologist Ilija Srdanovic, 55, the movement’s lead candidate.
Vucic’s rule was shaped by student-led anti-corruption protests that followed the 2024 collapse of a railway station canopy in Novi Sad, according to the Straits Times. Vucic and his Serbian Progressive Party have repeatedly denied accusations of corruption, the paper reported.
Analysts quoted by the South China Morning Post say the political shift could cool Beijing-Belgrade ties and bring sharper scrutiny of Chinese investments, but is unlikely to upend the relationship. Prelec told Euronews that the movement has been "ambivalent" about EU membership but "clearly seek better relations" with the EU.
Sources differ on Vucic’s office at the time of his defeat. The Straits Times calls him Serbia’s former president and says he resigned from the presidency, which triggered a presidential election. Euronews calls him outgoing prime minister. The sources do not reconcile the two titles.
Serbia must now form a new government, including a prime minister and key ministers. A presidential election is expected following Vucic’s resignation from the presidency, and Saicic has been tipped as a contender.
Several details remain unconfirmed. No official vote totals or seat counts appear in the reporting, no prime minister or ministers have been named, and the Student List has not said when the government will be formed. Chinese and Serbian officials have not commented on the implications for China ties, and Vucic has made no statements beyond conceding defeat that the sources report. The key facts rest on reporting from the Straits Times, the South China Morning Post and Euronews.
Sources
This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.