A new slap for Trump and Israel: Serbian president defeated by student protest movements

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić conceded on Sunday that his party lost the early parliamentary elections to a list backed by a student-led protest movement, following nearly two years of protests triggered by the collapse of a train station roof in Novi Sad in 2024.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić conceded on Sunday that his party lost the early parliamentary elections, based on preliminary results. In a speech to his supporters in Belgrade, he said: "Based on a sample, it is clear that we lost these elections." The elections pitted Vučić's right-wing Serbian Progressive Party against a list backed by a student-led protest movement. Eighteen parties competed for the votes of about 6.4 million voters, in what reports described as the most uncertain election in recent years, amid signs of high turnout. Preliminary estimates indicated that turnout may be the highest in over 30 years. The vote came after nearly two years of student-led protests, which began following the collapse of a roof at a train station in Novi Sad in 2024, killing 16 people. The incident became a focal point of public anger and demands for accountability. Election day saw rising tensions, with riot police establishing a security cordon near the election commission headquarters in central Belgrade, and local media reported incidents of violence. The results place Serbia before a major political shift after years of Vučić's party dominance, and open the door for the student list to transition from leading protests to a direct role in parliament and government formation.