Serbian president Aleksandar Vučić conceded defeat before official election results were released
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić acknowledged his bloc's defeat before official parliamentary election results and exit polls were published. The opposition "Student List" secured a majority and is expected to form the government, with anti-corruption themes contributing to its victory.
Pääkohdat
- Vučić conceded his party's defeat before official results and exit polls were released
- The "Student List" received 52.9% of the vote, while Vučić's "United Serbia" bloc won 38.8%
- Turnout was 65%, and no other political force passed the 3% threshold
- The "Student List" will form the new Serbian government with a parliamentary majority
- The presidential election is scheduled for 26 December
- Anti-corruption slogans helped the "Student List" win
- Protests following the deaths of 16 people in the collapse of a railway-station canopy in Novi Sad led to the early election
Miksi tämä on tärkeää
A change in government and parliamentary majority could redirect Serbia's domestic and foreign policies, including its relations with Russia and the European Union. For Ukraine, the reported risk that routes used to deliver Serbian ammunition to Ukrainian forces could disappear makes the outcome directly relevant. Anti-corruption themes also became central to the election, while some in Serbian society expect possible criminal proceedings against Vučić and his team.
Mitä tapahtui
President Aleksandar Vučić conceded his party's defeat before official parliamentary election results and exit polls were published. Preliminary results gave the "Student List" 52.9% of the vote against 38.8% for Vučić's "United Serbia" bloc, with 65% turnout. No other force crossed the 3% threshold, leaving the "Student List" with a parliamentary majority and responsibility for forming the new government. The opposition "Student List" published 11 points of its action plan, including mass judicial reform, official lustration, transparent public procurement, the "liberation" of media and transparent appointments. Its proposals also include support for domestic businesses and farmers, increased education funding, affordable housing for young people and accessible healthcare in every village. The outcome followed protests triggered by the deaths of 16 people in the collapse of a newly built railway-station canopy in Novi Sad on 1 November 2024, which ultimately led to early parliamentary elections.
Näin ukrainalaiset lähteet kertovat asiasta
Ukrainian coverage linked the election result to possible shifts in Serbian relations with Russia and the EU, and highlighted the reported risk of losing the routes through which Serbian ammunition reached Ukrainian forces. It also emphasized anti-corruption themes, possible criminal prosecution of Vučić and his team, and uncertainty over whether the new government will adopt anti-Russian measures.
Tausta
Vučić held Serbia's top political offices for 14 years, serving successively as first deputy prime minister, prime minister and president. The apex of his election campaign was a rally in Novi Sad on 16 October, where Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico arrived to support him and spoke in Serbian, leaving a European Council meeting early. On the evening of the election, special police units appeared in the centre of the Serbian capital, ready to disperse protests quickly. The "Student List" was reported to lack a clearly defined ideology, to signal no readiness to adopt anti-Russian measures, and to include politicians both supporting and opposing renewed progress toward EU accession.