DOMINANT ANGLE
Santiago sees the end of a power cycle: the Chilean press presents the victory of the Student List as the exit of Aleksandar Vučić, after a vote experienced as a referendum on his continuity.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
La Tercera: the Student List obtains 138 seats compared to 104 for the SNS, above the 126 necessary to govern with 250 deputies.
- 02
BioBioChile: participation close to 70%, the highest since the dissolution of Yugoslavia, according to the media.
- 03
The two media outlets link the movement to nearly two years of demonstrations following the death of 16 people in Novi Sad in 2024.
ANALYSIS
Santiago, October 26, 2026. The Chilean press is covering Aleksandar Vučić's defeat as a shift in domestic policy, born out of street mobilization and concluded at the polls. La Tercera reports that Vučić "acknowledges his defeat" and that the Student List will be the country's leading party. The newspaper puts the result at 138 seats for the student movement, compared to 104 for the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), well above the 126 needed to govern in a 250-deputy parliament. BioBioChile, citing preliminary results, talks about 135 to 140 seats against 105 for the ruling camp.
Both media outlets emphasize the nature of the vote. For La Tercera, these early elections, called by Vučić in September, "were experienced as a referendum on Vučić's continuation in power" and represented the greatest challenge to his government in over a decade. The newspaper also notes that the former president waited nearly two hours in line to vote, and reports, according to pollsters CeSID and Ipsos, a turnout of 27.3% at 11 am, compared to 15.1% at the same time in 2023. BioBioChile advances a turnout close to 70%, the highest since the dissolution of Yugoslavia.
The genesis of the movement is recalled in the same way: nearly two years of student protests against alleged corruption and growing authoritarianism, triggered by the death of 16 people in Novi Sad in 2024, when the awning of a station collapsed. La Tercera specifies that the students have since obtained broad support.
BioBioChile gives voice to the winners and the street. The streets of Belgrade "erupted in celebrations", with horns and cries of "victory" and "it's over". Professor Radomir Saicic, from the University of Belgrade, speaks on behalf of the students: "Tonight we celebrate the victory, tomorrow we will build the future". The media talks about "a new political era" for the Balkans.
The provided articles focus on the seat count, mobilization, and the story of the defeat. They do not develop, in the available excerpts, the consequences for Belgrade's foreign policy, nor the future government or its Prime Minister. La Tercera mentions the time difference with Chile (the offices were closing at 8 pm local time, 5 pm Chile time) and relies on Reuters to describe the long lines of voters.
