Serbia's long-standing leader Aleksandar Vučić has admitted defeat to the student-led protest movement in snap parliamentary elections held on Sunday. Preliminary figures from Serbia's election commission indicated a record high turnout, which commentators had suggested would favour the student movement.

Vučić had called the snap elections after two years of protests that were initially triggered by the 2024 collapse of a train station canopy in Novi Sad, an incident that killed 16 people and became a symbol of perceived corruption and negligence within the country. Vučić, who had served two terms as president and was ineligible for a third, was leading his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) with the aim of returning to the post of prime minister.

Early results made it clear that his party had lost, Vučić announced from the SNS headquarters in the capital, Belgrade. The Student List's lead candidate, Ilija Srdanović, told BBC Serbian that the victory represented a step towards a "free state" and aimed to "free the country from tyranny."

The concession led to widespread celebrations on the streets of Belgrade, with crowds dancing, chanting victory, and setting off fireworks, while cars honked their horns. Similar scenes unfolded in Novi Sad, the northern city where the protests initially gained momentum. "Serbia is free. It's a miracle," one student told the BBC.

The Student List, characterized by its lack of obvious leaders and members new to politics, successfully attracted anti-government voters throughout Serbia. The movement fielded candidates from diverse sectors of society, including doctors, actors, academics, and sports personalities, for the 250-member parliament.

The anti-corruption movement campaigned on a platform that included measures such as purging officials who violated rules, cracking down on corruption, preventing party loyalists from holding leadership positions in public enterprises, and ensuring the public broadcaster's freedom from political control. Vučić and the SNS party have consistently denied allegations of corruption.

Vučić's political stance has been complex; he supports Serbia's bid for European Union membership but has refrained from imposing sanctions on Russia following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. His party's campaign had pledged to increase pensions and public sector salaries, alongside investments in state healthcare.

Preliminary figures from Serbia's election commission showed a record turnout, with 64.9% of voters casting ballots by 18:00 local time, two hours before polls were scheduled to close. Long queues were observed at polling stations across Serbia and in several countries with Serbian communities earlier in the day.