Student movement defeats Serbia's 12-year leader Vučić

Summarised from 4 outlets · 7 reports · Updated 29 Oct, 09:45 · Archive

A student-led movement has defeated Aleksandar Vučić, Serbia's leader for 12 years, in a snap election.

A leaderless student movement has defeated Aleksandar Vučić, Serbia's leader for 12 years, in a historic snap election. Record numbers went to the polls and celebrations erupted across Belgrade and other cities as news of Vučić's defeat became clear. The student-led movement won 2.25 million votes compared to Vučić's Serbian Progressive Party's 1.67 million.

The student movement emerged two years ago following a railway station disaster in Novi Sad in November 2024, in which a canopy collapsed and killed 16 people. Protests were triggered by the tragedy, which was blamed on corruption and negligence. The movement has spent two years protesting against Vučić's government, which observers describe as increasingly authoritarian.

With victory secured, the movement must now choose a new prime minister and form a government. Among the leading candidates is Dejan Soskic, 59, an economist and professor at the University of Belgrade's Faculty of Economics. Soskic served as governor of the central bank between 2010 and 2012, before resigning in protest at legislative amendments he argued compromised the institution's independence. He has been a vocal opponent of Vučić's government for years.

Soskic has frequently criticised institutional weaknesses under Vučić's rule. In 2021, he said that systemic corruption in Serbia was more widespread than in neighbouring countries and that it was deterring investment. Vučić and his party have repeatedly denied accusations of corruption. Soskic says that prudent public finances will create a stable foundation for permanent increases in wages and pensions.

Pro-government media have criticised Soskic's central bank record, accusing him of triggering depreciation of the dinar during his tenure. Soskic has defended the depreciation as a reflection of mandatory monetary policies of the time rather than a personal failure. During the election campaign, he proposed weakening the dinar's exchange rate against the euro to increase export competitiveness and make domestic goods cheaper in foreign currencies.

The student list of candidates put forward half of whom hold PhDs, according to reports. With the leaderless movement now tasked with governing a country, questions remain about how it will manage the transition and implement policy.

How it is being reported

• Serbia’s students found a new way to topple a strongmanLike Viktor Orban, Aleksandar Vucic fell to an anti-corruption movementThe Economist · 29 Oct, 13:48
• After the victory: The foreign policy and governing challenges facing Serbia’s student movementThe victory of Serbia’s Student List has fundamentally changed the country’s political landscape. But winning the election may prove to have been the easier part.Euronews · 29 Oct, 13:46
• Serbia’s students achieved the impossible. Europe must not fail them now | Srđjan CvijićSome EU leaders courted the authoritarian Vučić regime – they must offer this reborn democracy a future within the union As polling stations closed across Serbia on Sunday evening, riot police were deploying around the presidency in Belgrade. Many of us feared the worst: massive electoral fraud, a refusal to recognise defeat or outright violence. After nearly 15 years of Aleksandar Vučić’s increasingly authoritarian rule, a peaceful transfer of power seemed implausible. I had good reason to feel afraid. I am co-founder of an annual conference on the security and foreign policy challenges…The Guardian · 29 Oct, 05:00
• How students toppled Serbia’s strongman – podcastAfter two years of protests, a student-led movement has defeated Serbia’s authoritarian leader, Aleksander Vučić, at the ballot box. But can a leaderless movement govern a country? Send your comments and questions to tif.questions@theguardian.com Serbia’s political landscape has been upended. On Sunday, record numbers of people went to the polls and voted to end the 12-year rule of Aleksandar Vučić. And who did they back instead? A list of candidates, half of whom have PhDs, put forward by student activists whose protests have rocked the Balkan country for the past two years. Helen Pidd…Guardian World · 29 Oct, 03:00
• How students rocked Serbia’s presidential election – video explainerThe long-serving leader of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, has conceded defeat, ushering in a seismic political shift after a historic election that pitted the increasingly authoritarian leader against a student-led movement that had spent two years protesting against his government. As news broke that Vučić’s 12 years in power had come to an end, celebrations erupted on the streets of Belgrade and other cities. But how did we get here - and what happens now? The Guardian's Europe live correspondent, Jakub Krupa, explains ‘It’s the smell of freedom’: Belgrade cleans up after Student List triumph…The Guardian · 28 Oct, 13:41
• From basketball stars to bankers: Meet Serbia's new leaders after historic student movementFour leading men are in contention for Serbia’s vacant prime minister slot after former president Aleksandar Vucic was ousted from office in a snap election - so who are they?Independent World · 28 Oct, 10:48
• Meet Serbia's potential new leaders: A banker, a basketball star and a chemistThe nation is waiting to find out who will become prime minister after a leaderless student movement won the electionIndependent World · 28 Oct, 10:41

In this story: Aleksandar Vučić · Dejan Soskic · Serbia · Belgrade · Novi Sad · Serbian Progressive Party · University of Belgrade

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