World

Serbia votes as students seek to unseat Vucic in poll

By Ivana Sekularac and Edward McAllister

Oct 25, 2026

'Student List' election rally in Belgrade — A student victory would be a profound political shift in the Balkan country of six million people. -EPA

Serbians will vote as a mass student protest movement seeks to unseat long-time populist leader Aleksandar Vucic, who ‌held power first as prime minister and then as president for more than a decade.

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The snap parliamentary elections on Sunday, called by Vucic in September, come after almost two years of student-led demonstrations against ‌perceived corruption and creeping authoritarianism triggered by the deaths of 16 people when a train station canopy collapsed in the city of Novi Sad in 2024. The students have since gained widespread support.

Polling stations ‌open at 7am on Sunday and close at 8pm (6am Monday AEDT) with first indications of results expected around two hours later.

A student victory would be a profound political shift in the Balkan country of some six million people, reminiscent of the defeat of Hungary's Viktor Orban in April.

It also potentially offers a blueprint for other student movements across Europe, which have taken to the streets in recent weeks to protest, in some cases violently, against poor education standards and a lack of prospects.

But Vucic, who resigned as president to run again for prime minister, is a strong ‌incumbent.

Many voters thank ‌him for pulling Serbia from economic ⁠obscurity and orchestrating a period of sustained modernisation including new highways, railways, schools and hospitals.

Domestically, Vucic has pledged higher pensions and public sector salaries, investment in state healthcare and subsidies for young couples.

On the international stage, he has balanced closer ties with China, a major investor, and Russia, Serbia's traditional ally and principal supplier of natural gas, while leaving the door open to joining the European Union.

The students' domestic agenda aims to root out graft and improve schooling, but they have been quieter on their international ambitions. Their list of 250 largely unknown candidates includes university professors, actors and farmers, and is led by cardiologist Ilija Srdanovic.

Opinion polls predict a tight race. In an Ipsos ⁠poll published on Thursday, Vucic's Serbian Progressive Party is seen leading with 47 per cent of votes versus 40 per cent ‌for the students. But other polls have put the students in the lead.

"The Serbian election is shaping up to be a watershed moment for the country as the Student List mounts the biggest challenge against Vucic yet," said Mario ‌Bikarski, senior Europe analyst at risk consultancy Verisk Maplecroft.