Serbia's Student List Takes 140 Seats in the Preliminary Official Count and Has 90 Days to Form a Government
The electoral commission's early figures give the student-backed list 52.7 percent, no prime minister has been named, and Belgrade's foreign policy on Russia and the EU remains an open question.
Wednesday, October 28, 2026/2 min read
Serbia's students now have official numbers behind their victory. In its preliminary count from 8,187 polling stations, the Republic Electoral Commission gave the Student List 2,267,615 votes, or 52.71 percent, and 140 of the 250 seats. Aleksandar Vucic's United Serbia list took 1,685,022 votes, 39.17 percent, and 104 seats. When we reported the concession, those figures were still projections.
The rest of the chamber is small. A list headed by Ivica Dacic won 2.17 percent and no seats, and the government site shows six seats going to minority lists, though it describes that allocation as current and open to change. Some 4.3 million people voted.
What happens now that the Student List has won?
Once the new parliament meets after the official announcement, the winners have 90 days to form a government, according to RFE/RL. With 140 seats they can govern alone, since 126 is a majority. What they do not have is a named prime minister. Nobody has been publicly put forward for that job or for any ministry.
The list was headed by Ilija Srdanovic, a cardiologist, and its best-known names include Dejan Soskic, a former central bank governor, and the former basketball star Dejan Bodiroga. The movement has said the list has no single leader, which was a strength in the street and becomes a puzzle once a cabinet has to be named.
Balkan Insight reported on Tuesday that experts saw the margin as the reason Vucic had no choice but to accept the result, after fears that the count might be rigged. Its report also described supporters entering and reclaiming a fenced-off camp beside the presidency that had come to symbolise ruling-party impunity.
Will Serbia change course on Russia and the EU?
That is the open question. RFE/RL said the movement is expected to keep Serbia's policy of not sanctioning Russia, that its members disagree about how close ties with Moscow should be, and that its programme is vague on foreign policy. It opposes recognising Kosovo, in line with the constitution. Analysts there said pro-European values do not automatically mean a pro-EU foreign policy.
Brussels sounded warm. Euronews listed congratulations from Antonio Costa, Ursula von der Leyen and Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos, and from Hungary's prime minister Peter Magyar. Vucic, for his part, said he expected the new authorities to adopt sanctions on Russia and warned that the result could deter investors.
The real test is domestic. The students' platform promises public procurement transparency, audits of state-funded projects, asset confiscation and vetting of officials, and analysts told RFE/RL that entrenched networks inside state institutions will resist. For the Progressive Party, which has now lost control of the state for the first time since 2012, the next three months are a lesson in opposition.
Published in The Outspoken Digest
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