Serbia's Student List wins 141 seats, triggering 90-day deadline to form government

Serbian voters on Sunday delivered a decisive victory to the Student List, a political movement that now holds a majority in parliament and must form a government within 90 days. The movement captured 141 of the 250 seats in the national assembly, according to final projections from the Centre for Free Elections and Democracy in Belgrade. This result marks the end of a 14-year period of rule by Aleksandar Vučić, who conceded defeat late Sunday.

The Student List received 53% of the vote, while Vučić’s Serbian Progressive party (SNS) finished with 39% and 103 seats. Remaining seats were allocated to lists representing national minorities. The election result follows two years of sustained protests against the government, a period that began after a canopy collapse at the Novi Sad railway station killed 16 people.

Supporters took to the streets in Belgrade and other cities on Monday to celebrate the outcome. Vučić, who had maintained close ties with Russia during his tenure, blamed his party’s loss on support from European countries and the United States. He specifically cited a "deep state" aligned against President Trump as a factor in the defeat.

The Student List operates without a formal hierarchy or single leader. Its candidate slate included students, academics, actors, and farmers. Prominent figures associated with the list include Ilija Srdanović, a cardiologist who headed the candidate list; Dejan Šoškić, a former central bank governor; and Radomir Saičić, a chemistry professor at Belgrade University who addressed the public following the victory.

The movement faces the challenge of governing through institutions staffed by civil servants loyal to the previous administration. Ana Mirković, a university educationist and candidate, described the group’s first priority as the "social and psychological detoxification" of the country. She stated that the group views the election result not as a gain of power, but as a historic debt to the Serbian people.

The Student List platform includes plans to create an independent police unit accountable to prosecutors rather than the interior ministry. It also proposes purging police officers linked to organized crime and banning party loyalists from appointments in state-owned companies. The movement aims to subject major state infrastructure contracts to scrutiny by new independent bodies to ensure financial accountability.

Mirković said the new government would work to dismantle what she called a "system of intimidation." This process involves urgently opening up media channels, ending pressure on public-sector workers, and depoliticizing the judiciary. The group pledged to rebuild society through full disclosure of all contracts and financial flows.

The movement kept foreign policy issues, including relations with the European Union and Russia, in the background during the campaign. The Kremlin stated on Monday that it hopes the new leaders understand that cooperation with Russia remains in Serbia's interests. Dušan Vučićević, an analyst, noted that the movement insisted on addressing domestic political issues first, focusing on the dismantling of institutions from the national to the local level.

Serbia's constitution requires the new parliament to convene within 30 days of the official election result. The government must be formed within 90 days after that. Additionally, the country must hold new presidential elections before December 27, as Vučić stepped down to run for prime minister.

Nikola Burazer, programme director at the Centre for Contemporary Politics in Belgrade, said the movement's decision-making process needs to be sped up. He noted that the process for choosing candidates took months and that the focus is now shifting to how the government will be structured. International leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, offered congratulations and support for Serbia's European path.