Waiting for a New Era in Serbia After the Triumph of the Student-Backed Movement

Following a historic election victory by a student-backed protest movement that unseated longtime leader Aleksandar Vucic in Serbia, citizens are waiting to learn the new form of governance and who will take on critical roles.

Serbia woke up to a new day after student candidates achieved a historic success by winning 52.7 percent of the vote, according to data from the State Election Commission with nearly 99 percent of the ballots counted. The alliance led by Vucic's Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) remained at 39.2 percent. With this result, the students secured 139 seats in the 250-seat parliament, while the SNS alliance won 97 seats, with the remaining seats going to minority parties. The constitution allows up to 90 days for the government to be formed once parliament convenes following the announcement of final results.

Vucic, who has dominated Serbian politics as prime minister or president since 2014, was ousted by the student-backed candidate list—the product of anti-corruption protests that began after the collapse of a railway station roof canopy in Novi Sad, which killed 16 people. Prominent figures behind the victory that fundamentally altered the political structure in the country of about 6 million people include cardiologist Ilija Srdanovic, who led the student list; former central bank governor Dejan Soskic; and Radomir Sajcic, a professor at the University of Belgrade. While it remains unclear who will assume the prime ministership and other critical roles to implement the government's domestic agenda, supporters of the student movement began clearing out the park near the parliament building in Belgrade that had been used as a campsite by Vucic loyalists.