This mobilization is the culmination of nearly two years of protests triggered by the collapse, in 2024, of an awning of the barely renovated station in Novi Sad, the country's second city. Sixteen people had died and students believed the accident was a consequence of endemic corruption.
Aleksandar Vucic, dominant figure in national political life for 14 years, quickly conceded defeat to inexperienced representatives from civil society. According to the reference NGO Cesid, based on a sample representing 96% of the votes, the student movement list won 52.9% of the votes, compared to 38.8% for the outgoing Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), according to unofficial preliminary results published Monday morning.
This spectacular alternation represents a majority of 140 seats out of the 250 in Parliament, compared to 103 for Aleksandar Vucic's party. The estimated final participation in these early legislative elections is 69.3% for 6.4 million voters.