Serbian Students Oust Long-Serving Populist Vucic in Historic Upset

BELGRADE, Serbia -- Aleksandar Vucic, Serbia's dominant populist leader for 14 years, has conceded defeat to a grassroots movement of university students who led protests for nearly two years, marking a historic change of government.

Vucic, a 56-year-old political veteran, had consistently outmaneuvered his opponents but failed to overcome the challenge posed by the youth movement. Ahead of the recent election, he adopted a strategy similar to Russian President Vladimir Putin by resigning his presidency to run for prime minister. His campaign included extensive, favorable state media coverage, attacks on opponents, and promises of increased pensions, new roads, and cheaper medicines. However, these tactics proved insufficient.

The diverse youth movement's central message, focusing on rampant corruption, cronyism, and organized crime under Vucic's rule, resonated widely with voters. The student protests initially gained momentum in 2024 following the collapse of a canopy at a newly renovated train station in northern Serbia, which resulted in 16 fatalities. Protesters alleged that graft-fueled negligence contributed to the faulty construction.

Following his defeat, Vucic attributed the outcome to foreign interference, stating that the "revolution" was supported by "different European countries and the deep American state." This is not the first time Vucic has faced accusations of using state resources and media to maintain power. His political career, spanning over three decades, has seen him transition from an ultranationalist advocating for a "Greater Serbia" during the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s to a populist leader who sought to balance relations between global powers.

During the 1990s conflicts, Vucic was a vocal proponent of policies that fueled bloody wars. He later served as information minister in the late 1990s, overseeing media crackdowns on outlets critical of then-President Slobodan Milosevic. He shifted towards a pro-European stance before his party's electoral win in 2012. While in office, he positioned himself as both pro-European and pro-Russian, and an admirer of Donald Trump. However, in the period leading up to the recent election, he reverted to his hard-right roots and re-engaged with Putin.

Last month, Vucic defied the European Union by allowing a funeral in Belgrade for Ratko Mladic, the former Bosnian Serb army commander convicted of genocide by a U.N. court. Vucic's ruling Serbian Progressive Party also allied with the Serbian Radical Party, whose leader, Vojislav Seselj, was Vucic's early political mentor and also convicted of war crimes.

Vucic served as deputy prime minister, prime minister, and president during his 14-year tenure. As president for nearly a decade, he transformed the largely ceremonial role into the country's power center, known for frequent public addresses and constant appearances in pro-government media. Political scientists have described his rule as an autocratic "textbook regime," characterized by control over media, judiciary, and institutions, with loyalists rewarded through state contracts and protection.

During the student protests, Vucic erected barriers around a central park near his office and housed supporters, some identified by investigative reporters as individuals with criminal backgrounds, in tents. Vucic has denied any ties to criminal clans.

Elections under Vucic have been frequently marred by reports of irregularities, violence, and accusations that his party benefited from undue influence through media control and voter bribery.

Despite his concession, Vucic vowed to continue his political fight, stating that his party is "very firm, very united and strong" and accustomed to being in opposition. Former President Boris Tadic noted that Vucic could not have avoided conceding given the decisiveness of the student victory.