Supporters of Serbia's student-backed opposition celebrated in Belgrade after President Aleksandar Vučić accepted defeat for his ruling party. His announcement on Sunday ended an early parliamentary election contest between the governing party and a broad opposition movement.
The vote followed nearly two years of demonstrations against his government. Preliminary figures from Serbia's election commission showed the highest parliamentary election turnout—the level of voter participation—in more than three decades. Election officials began counting ballots at voting stations across the capital after voting closed.
The protests began after a concrete canopy collapsed at Novi Sad railway station in November 2024, killing 16 people. The disaster caused widespread anger over suspected corruption, or dishonest use of power, and failures by public authorities to provide proper checks. Students became the main force behind demonstrations that spread across the country.
Over time, the movement brought together people with different political views who demanded accountability and political change. They wanted those responsible to answer for their actions. The celebrations marked a major political turning point: the defeat of a party that had dominated Serbian politics for years.
