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Serbia’s longtime leader Aleksander Vučić has been swept out of power by a historic student-led opposition movement against Vučić’s right-wing Serbian Progressive Party. Candidates from the Student List, who are not students themselves but largely first-time politicians selected by student-led popular assemblies, won a majority of seats in Sunday’s parliamentary elections, marking a seismic shift in Serbian politics. Their victory comes two years into a student-led movement sparked by the collapse of a roof at a train station in the city of Novi Sad, which killed 16 people. The disaster became a focal point for anti-government protests over corruption, cronyism, political violence and democratic backsliding. “Students really changed the whole political landscape of the country, and maybe even more important, they changed political imagination. They changed our understanding of what’s politically possible for all of us,” says journalist Lela Vujanić, who speaks to us from Belgrade about the groundbreaking elections. “This was a great democratic opening and democratic awakening, not only for the students, but for the rest of the country also.”

A student-led protest movement has ended the 14-year rule of Serbia's right-wing party, former President Aleksandar Vučić conceded Sunday. Why it matters: The historic upset sidelines a Balkan strongman who courted President Trump's family and allies, raising questions about future U.S. relations with a country that has balanced ties with Russia and the West. Vučić 's outreach has included the president's son Donald Trump Jr. and longtime ally Richard Grenell, while a proposed development involving Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner became embroiled in controversy. The big picture: The movement's electoral breakthrough reflects a broader wave of youth activism in Europe, where young people have mobilized over corruption, education and economic pressures. The victory could usher in democratic reforms in Serbia, where Vučić consolidated power. Driving the news: Vučić said Sunday evening it was "clear" that his Serbian Progressive Party had lost to the student-backed electoral movement, although official results had yet to be announced, according to translations of his announcement . He projected the Student List would win between 135 and 140 seats in the 250-seat parliament, compared with 105 for his coalition. Cardiologist Ilija Srdanović heads the Student List, though the grassroots movement emphasized its decentralized leadership. The result echoes the student-led movement that helped topple Slobodan Milošević in 2000 , with Serbians reviving that era's "He's finished!" rallying cry as they celebrated Sunday. Context: The movement emerged from mass protests after the November 2024 collapse of a railway station canopy in Novi Sad that killed 16 people, fueling public anger over alleged government corruption. It subsequently evolved into an electoral movement campaigning for accountability and institutional reform. What's next: The Student List must choose a prime minister and form a government while Serbia faces a separate presidential election in December to replace Vučić.