Serbia election on 25 October pits Vučić against student list

Who is running

Aleksandar Vučić leads the list Aleksandar Vučić – United Serbia, built around the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), a right-wing party. He was president until 27 September 2026 and is the list's candidate for prime minister. It campaigns on living standards.

The Student List – Students Win comes from the student movement that has led protests against corruption since November 2024. First of its 250 candidates is Ilija Srdanović, a cardiologist and professor of medicine. Its programme centres on fighting corruption and crime. Several opposition parties, among them the Democratic Party, back it.

Ivica Dačić, leader of the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS), heads a list of his party and three smaller ones. European Serbia, led by Marinika Tepić and Zdravko Ponoš, unites pro-European opposition parties. Seven lists represent national minorities.

How the vote works

Each voter chooses one list in a single nationwide constituency. The 250 seats are shared among the lists in proportion to their votes. A list needs at least 3% of the votes cast to win seats; lists of national minorities are exempt. A majority is 126 seats.

Polling stations open at 07:00 and close at 20:00 Central European Time, in Serbia and abroad. Only the parliament is elected on 25 October.

How the race got here

On 1 November 2024 a concrete canopy collapsed at the railway station in the city of Novi Sad, killing 16 people. Student-led protests demanding accountability for corruption followed and have continued for nearly two years.

On 9 September 2026 Vučić dissolved the parliament elected on 17 December 2023 and called the election, more than a year before one was due. The Student List handed in its list on 14 September with 69,099 valid voter signatures; 10,000 are required.

Vučić resigned as president on 27 September 2026. His second term, the last the constitution allows, was due to end in May 2027. Ana Brnabić, the speaker of parliament and a former prime minister, became acting president.

What happens next

The Republic Electoral Commission, which runs the vote, has approved 17 lists; one has withdrawn. It says preliminary results will follow within 24 hours of polls closing.

The new assembly must meet no later than 30 days after the final results are announced. It then has 90 days to elect a government. If it does not, it is dissolved.

A separate election for a new president must be held by 27 December 2026.