Spain

Madrid, October 26, 2026. For the Spanish press, the vote on Sunday, October 25, is first and foremost that of a citizen movement that prevails over a strongman. ElDiario.es headlines with a "student movement" that "puts an end to Vucic's 12-year authoritarian rule" and describes a leader who has "led" Serbia "down the path of authoritarianism".

HuffPost España reports that Vučić acknowledged his defeat to his supporters in Belgrade before the end of the official count: "It's clear that we've lost these elections. The Student List has won," quoting RTVE. According to his own estimates, his opponents would obtain between 135 and 140 seats compared to 105 for his bloc, in a 250-deputy chamber where the absolute majority is set at 126. ElDiario.es relays the Ipsos/CeSID projection: 52% for the Student List against 39.3% for Vučić's list, or 138 seats against 104. The second HuffPost coverage speaks of a "major setback in his trajectory" since he took the helm of the government in 2014, then the presidency in 2017.

Turnout occupies a central place: 68% an hour before closing, about 13 points more than in the previous election, according to the CRTA observatory cited by EFE. The historical record remains the 71.5% of 2000. ElDiario.es reads this as an indicator of mobilization against the nationalist leader.

The Spanish narrative does not overlook the irregularities. According to CRTA, voters were photographed with their ballots in 25% of the observed polling stations, which could signal pressure, and an irregularity was noted in 29% of the centers. In Pančevo, hooded men allegedly attacked delegates from the Student List, according to radio 021. However, the president of the electoral commission, Vladimir Dimitrijević, judges that the vote is taking place normally in most polling stations.

The sources also trace the genealogy of the movement: the collapse of the Novi Sad train station canopy in November 2024, then nearly two years of mobilization against corruption and authoritarianism, extended beyond universities. Analyst Nemanja Štiplija, interviewed by ElDiario.es, sees "electoral conditions among the most difficult" in Serbian multiparty history, which the students have transformed into a "clear parliamentary majority". The framework remains national: the formation of the next government and Vučić's fate, while Belgrade's European or Russian orientation does not appear in these texts.