Long queues formed at polling stations across Serbia and abroad, including in Paris where voters waited in heavy rain. In Belgrade, police closed streets around the Republic Electoral Commission amid heightened tensions.
The snap election follows two years of student protests triggered by the 2024 collapse of a train station canopy in Novi Sad that killed 16 people, an event widely seen as emblematic of corruption and negligence. The Student List movement, running on a platform of purging officials who broke rules cracking down on protesters, ending party loyalists' control of public enterprises, and freeing the public broadcaster from political influence, has fielded 250 candidates drawn from universities, medicine, academia, and sports. Ilija Srdanović, a professor at Novi Sad University, heads the list.
President Vučić, who cannot seek a third term, is leading his party's campaign with the aim of returning to the post of prime minister. He maintains strong support among a significant portion of the population, who see him as a strong leader who stands up for Serbia's interests. His campaign has emphasized economic growth and infrastructure improvements over the past decade, and he has pledged higher pensions, public sector salaries, and investment in state healthcare. "These are the hands that hold Serbia in their palms," Vučić says in his campaign video. "And with these hands, calmly and with dignity, we shall finish what we started." The SNS denies allegations of corruption and seeking to influence the media.
Allegations of electoral fraud have emerged. Videos circulating on social media appeared to show ballot papers being filled out in advance at a cafe in the southern city of Niš, a practice known as "chain voting." Reports have also surfaced of attacks on election monitors and journalists at several polling stations. The Student List has delegated at least two observers to each of Serbia's 8,210 voting stations.
Žarko Korać, a former deputy prime minister and long-term opponent of nationalist parties, described the election as "a unique experiment in European contemporary history." He noted that the Student List's candidates are politically inexperienced and that forming a functioning government would be uncertain if they win. Conversely, he warned that a close result could lead to weeks or months of instability if both sides claim victory.
Voter Katarina, 29, who traveled from the Netherlands to vote for the Student List, said she believed they had a chance of winning but expressed doubt about whether such a result would be respected by Vučić. Asked about the candidates' lack of political experience, she said, "Just because they're politically inexperienced, they are experts in their own fields, which we have not seen thus far."
Voting ends at 20:00 local time, with first preliminary results expected two hours later. Many commentators suggest that a final turnout of 65% or above would favor the student movement.