Aleksandar Vučić defeated in Serbia

[Andy_Ross]

Serbia's long-standing leader Aleksandar Vučić has admitted defeat to a student-led protest movement in snap parliamentary elections.

Celebrations erupted as crowds descended on the centre of Belgrade, Novi Sad and other cities.

The student movement was formed less than two years ago in response to a railway station disaster blamed on corruption and negligence, but fought the election with candidates from a cross-section of Serbian society.

"It is clear we have lost these elections," right-wing populist leader Vučić said as he conceded late on Sunday, citing preliminary figures that gave the students 2.2 million votes and his party 1.72 million.

The students were on course to win 52.9% of the vote, according to a later projection by independent pollsters CeSID, with the highest turnout for years of 69.34%.

Serbia's veteran ruler Vučić concedes election to student-led protest movement

The populist right-wing leader of 12 years says it is "clear" his party has lost the vote billed as a referendum on the country's future.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Norman Alexander]

Another one bites the dust...

 

[Helen]

This is such great news for Serbia, not just for the rest of us; they were sorely in need of a reset, and to be rid of all the awful old baggag.

 

[catsmate]

Excellent.

 

[lionking]

The world is a slightly better place.

 

[angrysoba]

Next up, let's see Netanyahu's government kicked out, and followed up with the GOP getting a stomping in the mid-terms.

 

[Gulliver Foyle]

Next up, let's see Netanyahu's government kicked out, and followed up with the GOP getting a stomping in the mid-terms.

Problem with Israel is that the opposition are as genocidal as Netenyahu is. The election is between two different sub-factions of the same fascist blob.

 

[stanfr]

This is so cool, and choosing athletes, chemists, bankers, doctors as leaders is even cooler. Hope the US Progressives take note!

 

[steenkh]

I have just read an interview with a "Serbia expert", who thinks that we should not expect a change in politics towards the West. The EU has repeatedly snubbed the student movement, and continued to negotiate with Vučić, and the students haven't forgotten it. Besides, the newest graffiti in Beograd still say "◊◊◊◊ NATO", and "◊◊◊◊ EU". The war in Ukraine is seen as something that has no relevance for Serbia, and Russia supplies Serbia with gas for heat and electricity.

We should expect the student movement to be nationalistic like Vučić, but without the corruption. Serbians still want Kosovo back. The students have no formulated politics, and no known solutions to the troubles of the country. Most likely, Vučić is going to wait this chaos out, and then return when the experiment fails.