Finland

Helsinki, October 26, 2026. The Finnish press is treating Aleksandar Vučić's defeat as the culmination of a civic movement. On election day, Helsingin Sanomat saw it as a test of the Serbian Progressive Party's (SNS) ability to extend its 14-year grip, deemed "increasingly authoritarian," and recalled that protests had begun in November 2024, when the canopy of Novi Sad's train station collapsed, killing 16 people. The newspaper notes that the movement organized the largest protests in Serbia since the fall of Slobodan Milošević and that its list consists mainly of researchers and teachers without political experience, who promise to restore the rule of law and strengthen institutions.

On Sunday, October 25, Ilta-Sanomat and Yle reported Vučić's concession of defeat shortly after the polls closed. MTV Uutiset quoted Vučić: the final results are still pending, but "it is clear that we have lost," with the student list winning 135 to 140 seats against around 105 for the SNS, and no other party in Parliament. Ilta-Sanomat emphasized the surprise effect, with polls showing both camps tied at over 40%, and described Belgrade as flooded with honking cars and chants of "Aleksandar is gone." The movement proclaimed: "Serbia is free."

Finnish media also detailed the mobilization. MTV, citing Reuters and the BBC, reported a turnout of 64.9% at 6 pm and 67.6% at 7 pm, the highest since 1992 and the breakup of Yugoslavia. Yle, through its correspondent Hanna Visala, mentioned hundreds of meters of lines, riot police and armored vehicles deployed in Belgrade, two journalists hospitalized after an assault, and attacks on poll workers; in Leskovac, a polling station reopened until 11 pm after a brawl.

Ilta-Sanomat reported, according to the AP, that Vučić attributed the result to independent media and attempts by Europe and the United States to exert influence. The newspaper noted that the movement deliberately has no single leader, so the name of the future Prime Minister remains uncertain, with Serbs voting for a list and not a person. Vučić, who resigned as president in September, was himself aiming for this position. The account remains factual and focused on the change in power, without developing relations with Brussels or Moscow.