‘Students toppled the government’ ... Serbia’s 14-year right-wing rule comes to an end

[Financial News] A student-led movement for a change of government has won the general election in Serbia, Eastern Europe, bringing down the right-wing government that had held power for 14 years. The British daily The Guardian said the election results would “inject new momentum into student protests sweeping across Europe.”
According to the French news agency AFP on the 25th (local time), the student-led political group “Student List” is expected to win an outright majority of the 250 seats. Radomir Sajcic, a candidate on the Student List, announced, “According to preliminary results, we are overwhelmingly ahead at nearly every polling station.”
The Student List fielded 250 candidates in the general election, many of whom came from academia or had no previous involvement in politics. They drew international attention by making “rooting out corruption” their key campaign pledge.
Serbia recorded its highest general-election turnout in more than 30 years that day, amid hopes for a change of government. Former President Aleksandar Vučić, who had ruled Serbia for more than a decade, conceded defeat less than two hours after the polls closed.
However, he blamed foreign forces for the election loss. Vučić said, “There is something people need to know,” and claimed, “These election results came about with the support of the U.S. deep state (a secret organization of entrenched interests) and European countries.”
Vučić, who served successively as prime minister and president starting in 2014, had been criticized by human rights groups for “governing in an increasingly authoritarian manner” and had faced fierce political resistance from students since 2024. That November, a canopy collapsed at a railway station in northern Serbia, killing 16 people and triggering anti-government protests. Protesters’ demands gradually expanded from a thorough investigation into the incident to calls for an early general election.
Against this backdrop, as a change of government looked likely that day, Student List supporters celebrated the victory enthusiastically. Mila Martic told AFP, “It’s unbelievably good,” adding, “I feel like I’m finally living in a free country.” AFP described the scene: “Thousands poured into the streets of the capital, Belgrade,” and “passing cars honked their horns, and fireworks were set off.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen congratulated the Student List on its victory and said, “The EU is ready to support reforms to uphold the rule of law and media freedom, root out corruption, and build a strong democracy in Serbia.”
[email protected] Hong Chae-wan Reporter