Serbia Votes in Its Closest Election in Years as a Student List Challenges Vucic

Polling stations across Serbia opened at 7 am local time on Sunday for a snap parliamentary election that has become the most serious electoral challenge to Aleksandar Vucic in more than a decade. Long queues formed outside polling stations in Belgrade and Novi Sad before voting began, an early sign that turnout could run well above the levels seen in recent national votes. Vucic called the election in September, and the build-up was covered in our earlier report.

A two-horse race among 18 lists

Eighteen electoral lists are competing for the 250-seat National Assembly, but the contest has narrowed to two camps. On one side is Vucic's right-wing populist Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), which has dominated Serbian politics since 2012. On the other is the Students' List, a slate backed by the largely leaderless student movement that has kept protesters on the streets for close to two years.

That movement grew out of the November 2024 collapse of a concrete canopy at Novi Sad railway station, which killed 16 people. Many Serbians blamed the disaster on corruption in public works, and the protests that followed became the country's largest since the fall of Slobodan Milosevic in 2000. Several established opposition parties chose not to field candidates this time and told supporters to back the students instead.

The Students' List is unusual by Serbian standards. Its 250 candidates are mostly political newcomers drawn from universities, the arts and farming, and the list is headed by cardiologist Ilija Srdanovic. Its platform focuses on fighting graft and improving education, with less said about foreign policy.

Vucic, 56, took the unusual step of cutting short his second presidential term so he could run for prime minister. He has campaigned on higher pensions and public-sector pay, more spending on state healthcare and subsidies for young couples. He has also accused the student movement of being part of a foreign-funded attempt to topple the state, a charge the students reject.

Polls point in different directions

Pre-election surveys do not agree on who is ahead. An Ipsos poll published on Thursday put the SNS on about 47% against roughly 40% for the students. Other polls have shown the students narrowly in front. The gap between those readings is wide enough that turnout is likely to decide the outcome.

Serbia has about 6.4 million registered voters. Turnout in parliamentary elections under SNS rule has averaged just over 55%, compared with around 70% in the 2000 vote that removed Milosevic. A high turnout is widely seen as favouring the students, while also raising the risk that smaller parties fall below the 3% threshold needed to win seats.

Concerns over fairness

The vote is taking place under scrutiny. Days before polling, 24 Serbian civil society groups warned that conditions for a free and fair election were not in place. A Council of Europe delegation that visited earlier this month criticised what it called hostile and aggressive rhetoric aimed at government opponents. The students have recruited large numbers of volunteers to watch polling stations alongside domestic and international observers.

Why it matters beyond Serbia

Serbia is a candidate for European Union membership, but under Vucic it has also kept close ties with Russia, its main gas supplier, and China, a major investor. A change of government would put that balancing act up for review. A student victory would also be watched across Europe, where youth-led protests over education and job prospects have spread in recent weeks.

Polls close at 8 pm local time (12:30 am IST on Monday), and first indications of the result are expected roughly two hours later.

This is an original summary based on public reporting. See our editorial policy for how we source, write, and correct our stories.