The October 25 parliamentary election comes after nearly two years of protests, with ties to Russia and the EU among the key issues<\/p>\n
Serbia is heading into a snap parliamentary election on October 25 following nearly two years of anti-government protests sparked by a deadly railway station canopy collapse.
\nFormer Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic is running for prime minister against a fragmented opposition seeking to capitalize on the protest movement. The result could reshape Serbia\u2019s political landscape and its delicate balancing act between Russia and the EU.
\nWhat is Serbia voting for, and why does it matter?
\nVoters will elect 250 members of the National Assembly, with 126 seats needed for a majority. A total of 18 electoral lists, comprising 2,418 candidates, are contesting the election, including the ruling coalition, student-backed candidates, established opposition parties and representatives of national minorities.
\nThe vote will test whether the protest movement can challenge the ruling coalition at the ballot box.
\nWhat led to the snap election?
\nThe crisis began after a concrete canopy at the Novi Sad railway station collapsed on November 1, 2024, killing 16 people. Protesters blamed the disaster on alleged corruption and failures of government oversight.<\/p>\n
Rescue service workers inspect the scene after a roof collapsed at a railway station in Novi Sad, Serbia. November 1, 2024.<\/p>\n
\u00a9\u00a0 Interior Ministry of Serbia via AP <\/p>\n
Demonstrations intensified after students and lecturers involved in a vigil commemorating the disaster at Belgrade\u2019s Faculty of Dramatic Arts on November 22, 2024 blocked traffic, prompting drivers to clash with the crowd; some of the motorists were later identified from photos posted online as Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) officials.
\nStudents began blockading university faculties, demanding the release of documents relating to the station\u2019s renovation, accountability for attacks on protesters, an end to the prosecution of detained demonstrators and increased funding for public universities.<\/p>\n
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The authorities said the demands had been met, but protesters disputed the claim.
\nSerbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic resigned in January 2025 following another attack on students, but the protests continued. A major rally in Belgrade on March 15 attracted an estimated 275,000 to 325,000 people, according to the organization Arhiv javnih skupova.
\nParliament elected a government headed by Djuro Macut in April, but the student movement demanded snap elections on May 5.<\/p>\n
An aerial view of a large crowd at a gathering to commemorate the railway station canopy collapse on November 1, 2025, in Novi Sad, Serbia.<\/p>\n
\u00a9\u00a0 Andrej Ivanov\/Getty Images <\/p>\n
Vucic has accused foreign organizations and intelligence services of financing the protests, alleging on Thursday that outside actors were seeking to remove him from power.
\nSerbia\u00a0was the victim of perhaps Europe\u2019s first \u2018color revolution\u2019 in 2000, when the opposition, having received extensive funding and training from the National Democratic Institute (NDI), International Republican Institute (IRI), and USAID, as well as support from George Soros\u2019 Open Society Foundations (operating in 2000 as the Fund for an Open Society \u2013 Yugoslavia), brought down the government.
\nHas Vucic lost power, or is he trying to hold on to it?
\nVucic resigned as president on September 27, saying he intended to campaign in the parliamentary election without holding the presidency.
\nHe now heads the ruling coalition\u2019s electoral list and is running for prime minister.
\nWho is running, and who could form a government?
\nThe ruling camp is led by the \u2018Aleksandar Vucic \u2013 United Serbia\u2019 coalition, built around the SNS. Its longstanding partner, Ivica Dacic\u2019s Socialist Party of Serbia, is running separately under the \u2018Factor of Stability\u2019 banner.<\/p>\n
President Aleksandar Vucic waves a Serbian flag during a rally of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) in Belgrade. June 27, 2026.<\/p>\n
\u00a9\u00a0 AP Photo\/Darko Vojinovic <\/p>\n
The main challenger is the \u2018Student List \u2013 Students Are Winning,\u2019 which emerged from the protests and includes lecturers, professionals and public figures.
\nMarinika Tepic and Zdravko Ponos\u2019s \u2018European Serbia\u2019 and Milos Jovanovic\u2019s \u2018Authentic Right\u2019 are also running independently. Some opposition groups have backed the students rather than fielding their own candidates.
\nThe latest opinion polls offer conflicting assessments of support for the two main contenders.
\nAn Ipsos survey published on October 22 put Vucic\u2019s coalition at 47.4%, compared with 40% for the Student List and 3.2% for Dacic\u2019s Socialists. The poll surveyed 3,624 respondents between October 20 and 22.<\/p>\n
Latest Serbia Ipsos Poll modelled out<\/p>\n
\ud83d\udd35SNS: 125 seats
\n\ud83d\udd34STU: 105 seats
\n\u2764\ufe0fSPS: 8 seats
\n\ud83d\udfe6NADA: 0 seats
\n\ud83d\udfe2SVM: 6 seats
\n\ud83d\udc9aSDAS: 2 seats
\n\ud83d\udca0SPP: 2 seats
\n\ud83d\udd39KSLP: 1 seat
\n\ud83d\udfe4RUS: 1 seat<\/p>\n
\ud83d\udd35SNS largest party, 1 short of a majority https:\/\/t.co\/9pjH9MA8Ts\u2014 Poliwave Europe (@PoliwaveEU) October 22, 2026<\/p>\n
A survey published on October 20 by Nova srpska politicka misao (NSPM) instead gave the Student List 44.5% and Vucic\u2019s coalition 42.7% among decided respondents. The telephone survey of 1,050 people was conducted between September 25 and October 5.<\/p>\n
Serbia, NSPM poll:<\/p>\n
Student list-*: 45% (+5)
\nSNS+-EPP: 43% (+5)
\nSPS\/JS~S&D: 3% (-2)
\nES-S&D: 3% (-1)
\nNADA~ECR: 3% (+1)<\/p>\n
+\/- vs. July 2026<\/p>\n
Fieldwork: 25 September – 05 October 2026
\nSample size: 1,050<\/p>\n
\u27a4 https:\/\/t.co\/ekzxpjD9df https:\/\/t.co\/9EKrcxnWOe\u2014 Europe Elects (@EuropeElects) October 20, 2026<\/p>\n
An online survey published by Nacija TV on October 21 showed a much narrower gap, with Vucic\u2019s coalition at 42.9% and the Student List at 42%. The poll surveyed 1,204 respondents between October 16 and 18.
\nAn earlier Faktor Plus survey, published on September 21, put Vucic\u2019s coalition at 48.6% and the Student List at 37.1%, based on 986 respondents interviewed between September 16 and 20.
\nNational minority and smaller parties could become important in coalition negotiations if no major group wins a majority.
\nWhat unites the opposition, and what divides it?
\nThe groups challenging Vucic differ on key foreign policy issues, particularly relations with the EU, NATO, and Russia.
\nThe Student List has said it would maintain Serbia\u2019s refusal to impose sanctions on Moscow. Its representative Jovo Bakic has proposed a referendum on EU membership and opposed joining NATO.<\/p>\n
Supporters of the Student List arrive in Belgrade after marching from several cities across Serbia. October 21, 2026.<\/p>\n
\u00a9\u00a0 Pierre Crom\/Getty Images <\/p>\n
European Serbia supports alignment with EU foreign policy, including sanctions against Russia, a position advocated by Tepic.
\nJovanovic opposes EU membership and sanctions against Moscow, while Socialist representative Snezana Paunovic supports EU accession but has criticized the bloc\u2019s current policies.
\nTerritorial tensions: Where do the parties stand on Kosovo and Republika Srpska?
\nKosovo remains one of Serbia\u2019s most sensitive political issues. The province declared independence in 2008, a move recognized by the US and many of its allies. Belgrade still considers Kosovo part of Serbia, as do Russia and China, and some 90 other countries.
\nThe declaration followed NATO\u2019s 1999 bombing campaign against Yugoslavia, conducted without authorization from the UN Security Council. Belgrade\u2019s relations with the ethnic Albanian-led authorities in Pristina remain tense.<\/p>\n
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Successive SNS-led governments have refused to recognize the breakaway Kosovo while participating in EU-mediated negotiations with Pristina.
\nThe Student List has also rejected recognizing the so-called Kosovo precedent. In a memorandum published in May, it described Kosovo as an integral part of Serbia and called for a negotiated settlement in accordance with the Serbian Constitution and international law.
\nRepublika Srpska, the Serb-majority constituent entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, whose autonomy is guaranteed under the 1995 Dayton peace agreement, is another touchstone.
\nVucic has maintained close ties with its leadership while supporting Bosnia and Herzegovina\u2019s territorial integrity. Former Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik has openly backed Vucic\u2019s coalition, urging Serbian citizens living there to vote for it.
\nThe Student List has sought support among Serbian voters in Republika Srpska but has not outlined a comparably detailed policy toward the entity. Some Bosnian Serb opposition politicians have backed the students, while others have\u00a0refused to take sides.
\nBelgrade and Brussels: The beatings will continue
\nSerbia applied to join the EU in 2009 and received candidate status in 2012. Accession negotiations began in 2014, but no new negotiating chapters or clusters have been opened since 2021.
\nBrussels has made further progress toward EU membership conditional on the normalization of relations with Kosovo and alignment with the bloc\u2019s foreign policy, including sanctions against Russia, as well as other judicial, media, and governmental reforms.<\/p>\n
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic hold a press conference in Belgrade. October 15, 2025.<\/p>\n
\u00a9\u00a0 Amir Hamzagic\/Anadolu via Getty Images <\/p>\n
Serbia\u2019s accession process has remained stalled while other candidates have moved forward. In July, eight EU member states opposed advancing talks with Belgrade, while Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine, and Moldova have made progress toward membership.
\nVucic has expressed frustration with the slow pace of EU enlargement, warning in July that candidate countries should not expect major breakthroughs in the coming years.<\/p>\n
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EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos questioned Serbia\u2019s commitment to membership in September, saying the country was at a crossroads and that further progress depended on the political direction chosen by its voters.
\nKos has also warned against allowing prospective EU members to develop dependencies on outside powers that could conflict with the bloc\u2019s interests.
\n\u201cWe should not risk our future members building dependencies on others that run counter to our long-term interest,\u201d she said.
\nThe commissioner identified Russia as an adversary in the enlargement process and criticized the influence of US President Donald Trump\u2019s MAGA movement on European politics.
\nVucic has maintained that Serbia intends to pursue EU membership while preserving its independent foreign policy.
\nWhat makes the ties between Serbia and Russia so strong?
\nSerbia and Russia share longstanding historical and cultural ties, reinforced by their Orthodox Christian traditions and Slavic heritage.
\nRelations were further shaped by NATO\u2019s 78-day bombing campaign against Yugoslavia in 1999, which Moscow strongly opposed. Russia has since backed Belgrade\u2019s position on Kosovo at the UN Security Council and refused to recognize the province\u2019s independence.<\/p>\n
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic during their meeting in Moscow on May 9, 2025.<\/p>\n
\u00a9\u00a0 Sputnik\/Sergey Bobylev <\/p>\n
Under Vucic, Serbia has maintained diplomatic and economic cooperation with Moscow while refusing to join Western sanctions over the Ukraine conflict.
\nIn an interview with Russian journalist Ksenia Sobchak published on Tuesday, Vucic said European leaders regularly pressed him on the issue.
\n\u201dWe are not sitting on two chairs; our only chair is Serbia,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Do Russia and Serbia have an energy deal?
\nEnergy remains central to the relationship. On September 30, Russia\u2019s Gazprom extended its gas supply agreement with Serbia for another three months, until December 31, on unchanged terms, according to Srbijagas CEO Dusan Bajatovic.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
Has Serbia withdrawn its support for Russia?<\/p>\n
The previous three-year contract expired in May 2025, with the two countries relying on short-term extensions since then.
\nFollowing talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in September, Vucic said Serbia was paying around \u20ac318 per 1,000 cubic meters of gas, compared with a market price of approximately \u20ac868 at the time.
\nThe latest extension secures supplies through the beginning of winter but leaves arrangements for 2027 unresolved.
\nThe future of NIS, which operates Serbia\u2019s only oil refinery, also remains uncertain following US sanctions over its Russian majority ownership. Hungarian oil and gas company MOL has been negotiating the purchase of the Russian stake.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: US sanctions Serbian oil major over Russia ties<\/p>\n
Serbia, however, maintains relations with Kiev and supports Ukraine\u2019s territorial integrity, a position Vucic reaffirmed during an August meeting with Vladimir Zelensky. He has also said he would not object if Serbian ammunition sold to European buyers ultimately reached Ukraine, although he did not confirm direct deliveries to Kiev.<\/p>\n
Where would each party take Serbia if they win?
\nVucic has emphasized his determination to preserve Serbia\u2019s sovereignty and keep the country out of a war with Russia, which he said he believes the EU is preparing for.
\n\u201dI do not want Serbia to be part of that war, and I would not allow Serbia to be part of that war,\u201d he said in an interview with TV Prva on Wednesday.
\nHe accused Western governments of seeking to install politicians who would follow their instructions.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
EU\u2019s election observers \u2018biased\u2019 \u2013 Serbian president<\/p>\n
\u201dThey want to bring in people who will do as they are told, people who will be patted on the back, and everyone will be delighted,\u201d Vucic said.<\/p>\n
How could the election affect relations with Moscow?
\nThe next Serbian government will face decisions on future Russian gas supplies, the ownership of NIS, and the country\u2019s military exports.
\nRussian observers will monitor the election at Serbia\u2019s invitation, according to Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. The delegation will include representatives of both chambers of the Russian parliament and the Central Election Commission, with Russian officials also participating in international monitoring missions.
\nMoscow has said it hopes to maintain close ties with Belgrade after the election. Zakharova described the relationship as rooted in \u201cstrong fraternal traditions, a shared worldview, and respect for genuine values.\u201d
\nShe added that \u201ccontinuity in these ties will serve the national interests of both countries and help strengthen peace and stability in the Balkans.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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