DOMINANT ANGLE
Brussels takes away from this election the victory of a student movement: the Belgian press tells the story of Vučić's concession and the joy of Belgrade as the culmination of two years of demonstrations.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
Vučić to VRT NWS: "According to the initial results, it's clear that we've lost these elections," around 21:30, at the SNS headquarters.
- 02
First report from CRTA: 51.47% for the Student List and 40.42% for Vučić.
- 03
By 18:00, 64.89% of the approximately 6.4 million voters had cast their ballots, the highest rate at this hour since 1993.
ANALYSIS
Brussels, 26 October 2026. On Sunday, 25 October, during the early legislative elections in Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić acknowledged the defeat of his camp. The Belgian press, from VRT NWS to La Libre Belgique, first recounts the scene: the admission, then the joy that followed in Belgrade.
According to VRT NWS, Vučić, the outgoing president, stated around 21:30, during a press conference at the headquarters of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS): "According to the first results, it is clear that we have lost these elections." La Libre Belgique, in an article published on 25 October at 22:13, quotes the same concession in French: "It is clear that we have lost these elections." It describes a nationalist leader, "a dominant figure in Serbian political life for 14 years," who admits the victory of the student movement after two years of protests.
The figures come from the CRTA observation organization, cited by VRT in a first communication: 51.47% of the votes for the Student List against 40.42% for Vučić. The participation was exceptional: at 18:00 local time, 64.89% of the approximately 6.4 million voters had voted, according to the electoral commission, which is the highest rate at this time since 1993. Voters still in line at 20:00 were able to vote. The Serbs were electing 250 deputies from 18 lists.
On the ground, VRT journalist Paulien Lambert, posted at the headquarters of the Student List, speaks of a "historische overwinning" of the movement. She describes a festive atmosphere, "veel emoties, veel vreugde," and notes that no one expected such a rapid clarity: everyone expected hours of suspense, but the gap with Vučić is "allesbehalve klein." According to her, the strong participation shows "hoe sterk de verkiezingen leven in Servië." La Libre, on the other hand, evokes an "explosion of joy in the center of Belgrade" as soon as the announcement was made.
The Belgian account remains focused on the student movement and the mobilization of voters, rather than on the composition of a future majority or the diplomatic follow-up. The two provided articles stick to the election night and the first results.
