Serbia's political landscape flipped on Sunday night when Aleksandar Vučić conceded defeat in the snap parliamentary election to the Student List, a movement that grew out of street protests. Shortly after the polls closed, he said it was clear his Serbian Progressive Party had lost, and he projected the Student List would win 135 to 140 seats in the 250-seat parliament, against roughly 105 for his own list. Vote counts put the Student List at around 51 to 53 percent, against about 40 percent for Vučić's list, on a very high turnout. Celebrations erupted across Belgrade, with fireworks in the sky and tens of thousands of people crowding the main roads, honking horns and waving flags. Counts were still being finalized, so exact figures may shift slightly.

The Student List was born out of nearly two years of anti-corruption protests that began after the 2024 collapse of the Novi Sad railway station canopy, which killed 16 people. It put forward candidates from professions such as medicine and education, many with no political experience, and most of the opposition parties stood aside to give it a clear run. Video circulating online is described as showing riot police and armored vehicles pulling out of central Belgrade at night amid jeering crowds, but that footage could not be independently confirmed. Big questions now remain, including how the handover of power will work, what happens to Vučić's allies, and how a leaderless, protest-born movement will actually govern. Many Serbians and outside observers will also be watching to see how it handles corruption and the country's relations with the European Union and Russia.