Vučić Concedes as Student List Wins Projected Majority

Aleksandar Vučić conceded defeat in Serbia’s snap parliamentary election on Sunday, saying preliminary projections showed the student-backed Student List winning a majority in the 250-seat parliament. The projections have not been officially certified, and the composition of a new government remains unsettled. Vučić told supporters that his Serbian Progressive Party-led bloc had lost. He said the Student List was projected to win 135 to 140 seats, against about 105 for his bloc. A majority requires 126 seats. Initial projections attributed to polling agencies Ipsos and CeSID put the Student List at 52% of the vote and the SNS-led coalition at 39.3%; official results were not yet available. The concession followed nearly two years of student-led protests. The movement gained momentum after a concrete canopy collapsed at a railway station in Novi Sad on November 1, 2024, killing 16 people. Protesters demanded accountability over alleged corruption and problems connected to renovation work. The allegations were a focus of demonstrations, but the election projections do not determine responsibility for the collapse. Students shaped the movement, while its electoral list included...