The student-led protest movement that have brought Serbia's Aleksandar Vucic era to an end celebrated on Sunday (October 25) after Vucic conceded defeat in the Serbia's parliamentary elections.

Student List candidate Radomir Saicic said during a celebration speech that Serbian citizens had shown that "no obstacle was greater than their will", and that "no force can forever overpower a people who have decided to take their destiny into their own hands"..

Turnout in the election was nearly 70%, the highest since the break-up of Yugoslavia in 1992. Lines snaked from polling stations in cities and towns across Serbia on Sunday, in a sign of widespread desire for change.

Vucic called snap elections in September after almost two years of student-led protests against perceived corruption and creeping authoritarianism. The protests were triggered by the deaths of 16 people when a train station canopy collapsed in the city of Novi Sad in 2024. Vucic and the SNS have denied accusations of repression and corruption.

Within moments of his announcement, the streets of Belgrade erupted in celebration. Tens of thousands of people thronged along the city's main boulevards, with cars honking, people dancing and students shouting "victory" and "he's done."

The students' win marks a profound political shift in the country of some 6 million people and is reminiscent of the defeat of Hungary's Viktor Orban in April. It may also offer 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.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

BELGRADE, SERBIA (OCTOBER 25, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. STUDENT LIST MEMBER CELEBRATING

2. VARIOUS OF CELEBRATIONS WITH STUDENTS AND TOP CANDIDATE OF STUDENT LIST, ILIJA SRDANOVIC,

3. SRDANOVIC, EMBRACING PERSON

4. CELEBRATIONS, VARIOUS

5. (SOUNDBITE) (Serbian) STUDENT LIST CANDIDATE, RADOMIR SAICIC, SAYING:

"Tonight, the voice of the people is heard across Serbia. Tonight, that voice rings out freely. Tonight, the citizens of Serbia have shown that no obstacle is greater than their will, and that no force can forever overpower a people who have decided to take their destiny into their own hands."

6. CELEBRATIONS WITH STUDENT LIST CANDIDATE, RADOMIR SAICIC,

7. (SOUNDBITE) (Serbian) STUDENT LIST CANDIDATE, RADOMIR SAICIC, SAYING:

"This is a victory of courage over fear, a victory over unrest. Serbia can—and must—be different. Thank you for every step, every hour, every sacrifice, and for every moment you chose not to give up. Thank you to everyone who raised their voice, stood by one another, and showed that the future of this country does not belong to a select few, but to all its citizens."

8. CELEBRATIONS

9. SRDANOVIC AND SAICIC EMBRACING

10. PEOPLE DANCING TO MUSIC OUTSIDE

11. SRDANOVIC BEING APPLAUDED AND BOWING

12. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE DANCING, SINGING AND CELEBRATING