Serbia is holding early parliamentary elections on Sunday 25 October 2026. The vote was called after almost two years of student protests sparked by the collapse of the Novi Sad railway-station canopy on 1 November 2024, which killed 16 people and was blamed on corruption in the Belgrade government.

Early last month Aleksandar Vučić called the snap election, then resigned as president. He said he hoped to return as prime minister if his party, in power for 12 years, won the most votes, according to Radio România Actualități.

For the first time in a decade, Deutsche Welle noted in the context carried by the broadcast, the ruling party faces a serious challenge from the Students’ League. Polls point to a tight race. There is still no official final tally; this article does not invent a result.

International agencies describe the contest as a referendum between Vučić’s Serbian Progressive Party and the Students’ List, a movement born of the anti-corruption protests. Long queues formed in Belgrade and Novi Sad before polls opened; voting ends in the evening, with first result indications expected after stations close.

There are concerns about the fairness of the vote amid accusations of state violence against opposition activists and of manipulation of electoral rolls and overseas voting procedures. Observers say the outcome may affect Serbia’s ties with the European Union, Russia and China, and the stability of the Western Balkans.

Sources: Alegeri legislative anticipate în Serbia | Radio România Actualități; Serbia holds a parliamentary election as strongman Vucic faces protesting students | AP News