As of 2:45 PM IST, Sunday 25 October 2026. Voting is under way and no results have been published. Polls close at 8 PM local time (12:30 AM IST on Monday). Based on reporting by Reuters (via NBC News and TVP World), AP, Serbian outlets Dnevnik and Novosti, Serbia's Republic Electoral Commission (RIK) and the election monitor CRTA. Opinion polls are not predictions, and HorizonDesk will update when official figures are released.
Serbians are voting on Sunday, 25 October, in a snap parliamentary election that has become the biggest challenge in more than a decade to Aleksandar Vučić, the country's dominant politician. The main challenger is not a traditional opposition party but a student-led list that grew out of almost two years of mass protests. Reuters reported unusually long queues at polling stations in Belgrade and Novi Sad before voting opened at 7 AM.
The election at a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Seats | 250 in the National Assembly |
| Registered voters | About 6.45 million (RIK figure: 6,451,292) |
| Polling stations | 8,392 in Serbia, plus 93 abroad in 37 countries |
| Lists on the ballot | 18 |
| Voting hours | 7 AM to 8 PM local (11:30 AM to 12:30 AM IST) |
| Seat allocation | Proportional (d'Hondt method), 3% threshold |
| Official results | Within 96 hours of polls closing |
Who is running
Vučić resigned partway through his second term as president to run for prime minister, according to Reuters. He heads the "Aleksandar Vučić – United Serbia" list, built around his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS). He has promised higher pensions and public-sector wages, more health spending and subsidies for young couples. Supporters credit him with years of investment in highways, railways, schools and hospitals.
The Student List ("Students Win") is led by cardiologist Ilija Srdanović. Its 250 candidates are mostly unknown and include university professors, actors and farmers. Its campaign focuses on fighting corruption and improving education. Reuters noted it has said less about foreign policy.
How it got here
The protests began after a railway station canopy collapsed in Novi Sad in November 2024, killing 16 people. Student-led demonstrations against perceived corruption and creeping authoritarianism became the biggest in a generation. Vučić called the snap election in September. He and the SNS deny accusations of repression, corruption and spying on opponents. He has said the students are funded by foreign agents in Croatia and Montenegro, which the students reject.
What the polls and early turnout say
- An Ipsos poll published on Thursday put the SNS on 47% and the students on 40%, according to Reuters.
- Other polls have shown the students ahead. A telephone poll by the NSPM agency, published on 20 October and carried out between 25 September and 5 October, put the Student List on 44.5% and Vučić's list on 42.7% among decided voters. 18.3% of respondents were undecided and were excluded.
- Pollsters Ipsos and CeSID estimated turnout at 12% by 9 AM, state broadcaster RTS reported. Fuller turnout estimates are due through the day.
Because polls differ, the result could depend on turnout, how votes split among the 18 lists and which lists clear the 3% threshold.
Concerns about the vote
CRTA, a Serbian monitoring group with about 2,500 observers at 500 sampled polling stations, said in its pre-election report that most indicators had worsened during the campaign. It cited a voter register that has not been audited, 116 recorded incidents of violence or threats, and national TV coverage in which the authorities took up almost three-quarters of airtime. CRTA plans to publish its own projection from a sample count no earlier than 9:30 PM local time (2 AM IST on Monday).
Relations with the European Union, which Serbia is a candidate to join, have also cooled. Brussels has grown frustrated with slow reforms on the judiciary and corruption. A Council of Europe delegation recently criticised "hostile and aggressive rhetoric" towards opponents.
Why it matters beyond Serbia
Serbia balances ties with the EU, Russia (its main gas supplier) and China (a major investor). A student victory would be a major political shift in the Balkans. Reuters compared it to Viktor Orbán's defeat in Hungary in April. It could also encourage the youth-led protest movements that have taken to the streets in several European countries in recent weeks.
What to watch tonight (IST)
- 12:30 AM Monday: polls close.
- From about 2 AM to 2:30 AM: first projections from CRTA and early indications of results.
- Within 96 hours: official results from RIK, followed by seat allocation and coalition talks.
Related reading on HorizonDesk
- France's protest bans and curfews as unrest spreads
- How the French protests rattled bond markets
- Israel's 27 October election: polls show no clear majority
Sources
- NBC News / Reuters: Serbia votes as students seek to unseat Aleksandar Vucic in snap election (25 Oct 2026)
- TVP World / Reuters: Serbians head to polls as students seek to unseat Vučić (25 Oct 2026)
- AP: Serbia's election to decide if student movement will topple populist Vucic
- Vijesti: NSPM poll, Student List at 44.5%, United Serbia at 42.7%
- CRTA: Elections 2026 hub and preliminary campaign report
- Republic Electoral Commission of Serbia: Parliamentary elections
- Dnevnik: Serbia elections 2026 live (in Serbian)
- Novosti: Serbia votes, first turnout estimates (in Serbian)
