Belgrade: Serbia’s new Parliament, which will be dominated by a student-led movement following its victory in last month’s parliamentary election, will hold its inaugural session on November 17, outgoing parliament speaker Ana Brnabic announced on Sunday.
The session was scheduled after election authorities declared the final results of the October 25 vote. The Students’ List secured 140 seats in the 250-member assembly, while the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) won 103. The remaining seats went to parties representing ethnic minorities.
The results mark a major shift in Serbia’s political landscape, with the student movement preparing to take parliamentary seats after two years of protests against the government of Aleksandar Vucic. The demonstrations began in November 2024 following the collapse of a railway station canopy in the northern city of Novi Sad, which killed 16 people. Protesters blamed corruption in state infrastructure projects for the tragedy.
Vucic conceded defeat after early results emerged, saying the Students’ List had won between 135 and 140 seats, while the SNS was expected to secure around 105. According to vote tabulations cited by Euronews, the student-led group received approximately 2.2 million votes, or 52 per cent, against the SNS’s 1.72 million votes, or 32.3 per cent.
The Students’ List fielded candidates largely comprising professors, teachers and experts from various fields, many with little political experience. The movement has pledged to restore the rule of law and tackle corruption, which it says flourished under Vucic’s administration.
The new Parliament will first elect a speaker and establish other parliamentary bodies. A new government must then be formed within 90 days.
Serbia must also hold an early presidential election by the end of the year after Vucic resigned from the presidency on September 27 in an unsuccessful attempt to become the next prime minister.
The change in the balance of power has been followed by a series of detentions linked to investigations into alleged election fraud, attacks on student protesters and corruption. Vucic has accused his opponents of engaging in “revolutionary terror”, while the SNS remains in charge until the new government is formed.
The SNS had governed Serbia for nearly 14 years, maintaining extensive control over state institutions. The party has faced allegations of corruption, cronyism and links to organised crime, all of which it has denied.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen congratulated the Students’ List on its victory, saying the European Union was ready to support reforms in Serbia.
“Today, the people of Serbia turned out in record numbers to shape their country’s future. Congratulations to the Student List on its victory in the parliamentary elections,” she wrote on X, adding that the EU stood ready to work with Serbia on the rule of law, media freedom, anti-corruption efforts and stronger democratic institutions.
Serbia is seeking membership of the European Union (EU), but its accession process has stalled under Vucic, who maintained close ties with Russia and China. The student movement’s electoral victory has also drawn attention beyond Serbia, amid youth-led protest movements in several European countries.
(With agency inputs from ANI and AP via PTI)