DOMINANT ANGLE
Rome is taking note of the electoral upset in Belgrade: ANSA and Adnkronos report the defeat of a Vučić who acknowledges it himself live, faced with a student list carried by a record turnout.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
Ipsos/CeSid projections cited by Adnkronos: 52% of the vote and 138 seats for the Student List, versus 39.3% and 104 seats for Vučić, with a majority at 126.
- 02
According to ANSA, turnout nearly reached 70%, a level unseen in at least thirty years.
- 03
Adnkronos links the movement to the collapse of the Novi Sad train station canopy in 2024, which caused 16 deaths.
ANALYSIS
Rome, October 26, 2026. The Italian press is highlighting the upset: "Students win elections in Serbia, defeated Vucic announces," ANSA headlines, while Adnkronos talks about a student list that "makes history." Both agencies are relying on the provisional projections from Sunday, October 25, which, according to ANSA, are unlikely to change substantially.
The numbers are being repeated identically: 52% of the votes and 138 seats out of 250 for the Student List, compared to around 39% and 104 seats for Aleksandar Vucic's list. Adnkronos cites the Ipsos/CeSid projections relayed by the N1 channel and notes that the majority is at 126 seats. No other coalition has crossed the 3% threshold, except for small ethnic minority parties.
The narrative is one of surprise. According to ANSA, Vucic appeared first live on RTS television to announce that he had "lost the elections," whereas his appearance had raised fears of a victory declaration. The agency also reports that he judged the student campaign "scorretta e piena di menzogne" (wrong and full of lies), while recognizing "la vittoria degli studenti" (the students' victory). Candidate Radomir Sajcic sees the result as one that "rewards almost two years of struggle," and the head of the list, cardiologist Ilija Srdjanovic, claims that the country has "turned its back on a tyrant."
The origin of the movement is detailed by Adnkronos: the collapse of the Novi Sad train station canopy in 2024, which killed 16 people, a tragedy attributed to corruption and the origin of the largest protests since the fall of Slobodan Milosevic in 2000. Most of the 250 student candidates come from the university and the art world, with little political experience, and several opposition parties have given up running to support the students.
The participation factor is being highlighted: a record turnout of nearly 70%, unseen in at least thirty years, which commentators judged favorable to the students. ANSA describes the celebrations in the streets of the country live on television, but also a tense climate in the center of Belgrade, with significant police deployments after the polls closed.
The international dimension remains discreet: Adnkronos notes only that Vucic had presented himself as an indispensable statesman, "in bilico tra l'Unione Europea e la Russia" (balanced between the European Union and Russia), and that he had called the early elections citing "strong turbulence on the domestic political scene."
