After election upset, photos show Serbia celebrates as ruling party loses grip on power

Celebrations fill Belgrade streets

On Sunday night, drivers waved Serbian flags and sounded their horns as fireworks lit the sky. Crowds gathered in central squares and near parliament. Student Mila Martic told reporters she felt she was finally living in a free country. People raised three fingers, a traditional Serbian greeting and the Student List ballot symbol.

Protests followed deadly collapse

The election came after almost two years of student-led demonstrations. They began following the 2024 collapse of a canopy at Novi Sad railway station, which killed 16 people.

The disaster was widely blamed on corruption and cronyism. The movement grew into some of Serbia’s biggest protests since the 2000 overthrow of Slobodan Milosevic.

Movement calls for next steps

At Student List headquarters, supporters embraced, cried and chanted about victory. Candidate Radomir Saicic, a university professor, said Serbia had won and called for the country never to return to tyranny.

Saicic urged people to celebrate peacefully and with dignity, and called for serious, responsible work from Monday. Elsewhere, pro-government encampments near parliament were taken down as riot police trucks withdrew amid cheering.