Serbian Student-Led Movement Ousts Vucic In Huge Upset, Opening Door To EU

Serbia finds itself in a new political reality on Monday, after Sunday night saw former President Aleksandar Vučić concede defeat following the 14-year rule of his right-wing party, called in English (ironically enough) the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS). Vučić’s long-running total dominance in Serbian politics has effectively come to an end.

There were wide reports of high turnout among the country’s 6.4 million voters on Sunday, the end result which saw the youth-backed Students’ List take 140 seats, while Vučić’s SNS party took 103.

“The Students’ List has won,“ Vučić told supporters by the night’s close, while hinting at ‘interference’ by unnamed European countries and an “American deep state.”

This was the culmination of many months of large student-led protests targeting his government. The protest movement has actually stretched back a couple years, at times getting violent, including witnessing fierce clashes with police.

Vucic’s opponents, including outside the country among EU officials, accused him and his allies of deep corruption which allegedly included ties to organize crime, and initiating greater government control of the media and overall centralization.

The Serbian leader has maintained warm ties with Russia, which has also made him a target of his pro-EU critics. He at times in the past openly accused the West of trying but failing to topple him.

Interestingly, as the youth-led protests grew, Moscow itself weighed in and charged Western countries with backing a “color revolution” in the Balkan state.

Vučić had consistently resisted Western pressure to impose sanctions on Russia over the Ukraine war…

Serbia’s Vučić after conceding defeat in election: It won’t pass until March or April, you will have sanctions introduced against the Russian Federation. https://t.co/jf6bfdOGc7

— Clash Report (@clashreport) October 25, 2026

For example, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in 2025 complained, “We hope Western countries, which often exploit domestic affairs in other states to advance their interests, will refrain from color revolutions this time.”

EU leaders and senior European officials are meanwhile hailing the Student List’s election win, expressing readiness to assist with reforms inside Serbia, and even cooperating on a future path to EU membership.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on X, “Congratulations to the Student List on its victory in the parliamentary elections. We stand ready to support reforms on the rule of law, media freedom, the fight against corruption and strong democratic institutions, and to work together to advance Serbia’s future in the European Union.”

Also, European Council President António Costa has stated, “We stand ready to support reforms on the rule of law, media freedom, the fight against corruption and strong democratic institutions, and to work together to build Serbia’s future in the European Union.”