Crowds gathered in Belgrade to celebrate after Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić conceded his ruling party's defeat in a snap parliamentary election. Sunday's announcement marked a major political turning point for supporters of the student-backed opposition, following nearly two years of demonstrations against his government.
Preliminary figures released by Serbia's election commission indicated that parliamentary election turnout was the highest in more than three decades. As voting closed, officials began counting ballots at polling stations across the capital. The closely watched contest pitted the governing party against a broad opposition movement.
The election followed a prolonged protest wave triggered by the collapse of a concrete canopy at Novi Sad railway station in November 2024, which killed 16 people. Widespread anger focused on alleged corruption and failures of public oversight. Students emerged as the driving force behind demonstrations that subsequently spread throughout Serbia.
As the movement developed, it united people from different political backgrounds around demands for accountability and political change. Vučić's concession brought the electoral contest to a dramatic conclusion, prompting supporters to celebrate the defeat of a party that had dominated Serbian politics for years.
