Kathmandu. In Serbia, the ruling coalition led by former President Aleksandar Bucic has suffered a major blow after a student-led movement won a majority in parliamentary elections. According to the preliminary results of the elections held on Sunday, the student-led ‘Student List’ has won the majority. Buchic has also admitted that his party has been defeated.
Preliminary results show that the “Student List” won more than 135 seats in the 250-member Serbian parliament. The coalition led by Bucic’s Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) is limited to 105 seats. About 70 percent of voters voted in the election.
After the announcement of the election results, thousands of young people and citizens celebrated the victory in major cities including the capital Belgrade and Novi Sad. After the student movement against corruption gained political power through elections, a new turn has come in Serbian politics.
In the background of this change is the incident in November 2024 when the concrete roof of the railway station in Novi Sad collapsed, killing 16 people. The students started the protest saying that the accident was due to government corruption, commissarism and negligence in construction. The movement, which initially started with demands for accountability and corruption control, later turned into a political campaign.
Unlike traditional political leaders, the ‘Student List’ nominated doctors, professors, artists, athletes and farmers. Cardiologist Dr. It is said that most of the candidates on the list, which went ahead under the leadership of Ilya Sradanovich, won.
After victory Dr. Sradanović said that the voice of the people has been heard and he will work for the restoration of the rule of law and democracy. Mentioning that change is possible if there is a strong will, he promised to build a country with truth, freedom of speech and a guaranteed future.
Bucic’s political defeat is seen to affect Serbia’s internal politics as well as international relations. He had a close relationship with US President Donald Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr. and former special envoy Richard Grenell. Controversy also arose after Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner’s company launched a multibillion-dollar project to convert the former Defense Ministry building in Belgrade into a luxury hotel and residential area.
Buchich has been pursuing a policy of maintaining a strategic balance between Russia, China and the US. It is estimated that the emergence of the young generation, which is more positive towards the European Union, may change Serbia’s future foreign policy.
After getting the majority in the parliamentary elections, the ‘Student List’ will have to select a new Prime Minister and start the process of government formation. Meanwhile, it is said that the presidential election will be held in December. The details of Buchich’s resignation from the presidency last month in order to become the prime minister have also been made public. After the defeat of his coalition in the parliamentary elections, concerns about the future political leadership of Serbia and Bucic’s political future have increased.