Students Win Serbia Election Majority
Serbia’s youth-led Student List movement secured 140 out of 250 seats in parliament during last Sunday’s parliamentary election, defeating the United Serbia coalition led by former president Aleksandar Vučić by more than 13 percentage points, rte.ie reported. The anti-corruption coalition captured 53% of the popular vote, while Vučić’s party claimed about 39% and will hold 104 seats in opposition. The election saw the highest voter turnout in Serbia since the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1992, according to The Guardian.
The political movement emerged from a tragedy in November 2024, when a concrete canopy collapsed at a renovated train station in Novi Sad, killing 16 people. Protestors blamed endemic corruption for the shoddy construction work. Over the following two years, student organizers orchestrated mass demonstrations, walking and cycling through rural areas to build a base against Vučić’s 12-year administration, CBS News reported. Unlike traditional opposition parties, the movement campaigned without a single designated leader, relying instead on public assemblies and six-hour debates.
Security and Media Overhauls Ahead
Once the Electoral Commission releases official results, newly elected MPs will have 30 days to form a government. Ivan Vejvoda, a political scientist with the Europe’s Futures Initiative, told rte.ie that the incoming administration’s priority is reforming security services and addressing what he described as a captured state. The Student List ran under the slogan “Serbia or the mafia,” promising to establish independent police bodies rather than routing corruption complaints through the interior ministry.
The coalition also targeted public media reform in its 11-point manifesto, demanding the resignation of the director-general and senior staff at the state broadcaster RTS, rte.ie reported. The day after the vote, a news anchor on regional broadcaster RNS issued an on-air apology, admitting the station had provided one-sided information.
Arms Purchases Under Scrutiny
The new government plans to launch an independent, interdepartmental commission to audit the previous regime’s arms contracts and defense spending, Defense News reported. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Serbia spent roughly 1.12 billion euros on arms in 2025 and nearly 3.65 billion euros between 2021 and 2025, acquiring French Rafale jets, Chinese air defense systems, and Israeli drones.
The Student List manifesto states that the administration will review paperwork on these accords for irregularities while maintaining a hard line on territorial disputes. “We will fight for the preservation of Kosovo… as part of Serbia,” the manifesto declares, according to Defense News. At the same time, potential prime ministerial candidate Ilija Srdanović told Radio Free Europe that the movement remains committed to European integration and aligning domestic policy with EU rule-of-law standards.
Cabinet Selection and Leadership Candidates
The movement has yet to officially select who will lead the country as prime minister, though three primary figures have emerged from its ranks. Ilija Srdanović, a cardiologist and professor from Novi Sad, supports aligning domestic policy with EU norms. Dejan Šoškić, a former governor of the National Bank of Serbia who resigned in 2012 over legislation reducing the bank’s independence, is viewed as a strong candidate for either the top job or finance minister. Dejan Bodiroga, a former professional basketball player, is also among the prominent figures in the technocratic slate.
Nearly half of the movement’s 250 candidates come from academic or educational backgrounds, including doctors, lawyers, and engineers. While voters expect immediate policy shifts, political analysts note that dismantling administrative networks loyal to the previous administration will prove challenging.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Who are the main candidates for prime minister?
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How many seats did the Student List win in parliament?
The movement won 140 out of 250 seats in the Serbian national assembly, securing 53% of the popular vote, rte.ie reported. -
What triggered the formation of the Student List movement?
The group formed in November 2024 following the deaths of 16 people in a concrete canopy collapse at the Novi Sad railway station, an incident protestors blamed on endemic corruption, rte.ie reported. -
What is the new government’s stance on military procurement?
The administration plans to create an independent government commission to investigate irregularities and corruption in the production, procurement, and export of weapons under the previous administration, Defense News reported.