As the minutes ticked by after the polls closed at 8 p.m. local time, the Central Election Commission and election observers remained silent instead of publishing their customary exit results. An hour later, Vučić’s abrupt statement was carried simultaneously on all TV channels in Serbia.
The moment the news landed, euphoric residents started streaming into central Belgrade, dancing, hugging and chanting Gotov je! (“He’s finished!”), a refrain popularized a quarter century ago, the last time the country saw this level of voter participation. That October 2000 ballot toppled Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosević following a punishing decade of wars in the Balkans.
“Never again to tyranny in our country!” said the leader of the Student List candidates roster, Ilija Srdanović. “We are moving toward a civilized and better Serbia,” he told journalists in an address at the party’s headquarters.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also released a statement after Vučić’s concession, noting that “today, the people of Serbia turned out in record numbers to shape their country’s future” and congratulating the Student List on its victory.
“We stand ready to support reforms on the rule of law, media freedom, the fight against corruption and strong democratic institutions, and to work together to advance Serbia’s future in the European Union,” she added.
While Serbia has been an official EU candidate country since 2012, its candidacy remains frozen over rule-of-law and democracy concerns and Belgrade’s refusal to join EU sanctions on Russia.
