Vucic Races For Serbian Premiership

Aleksandar Vucic, who has led Serbian politics for fourteen years, will stand for prime minister in the parliamentary election held on October 25. He resigned as president in late September to clear his path for this new role, which he previously held from 2014 to 2017. The race pits his ruling party against an opposition movement that grew out of student protests.

Scrutiny of the electoral process has intensified following an investigation by RFE/RL's Balkan Service. The group identified about 500,000 registered voters who lack complete addresses. Many of these records are missing street names or house numbers. The probe also found hundreds of voters listed at public facilities, such as social welfare centers, and at residential addresses that could not logically hold so many people. These issues mirror irregularities seen in the 2023 election, where observers reported voters being transported from neighboring Bosnia-Hercegovina.

The election is scheduled just days before the second anniversary of the Novi Sad tragedy. On November 1, 2024, a renovated canopy at the city's railway station collapsed, killing sixteen people. The disaster sparked nationwide protests over corruption at the construction site, a project led by Chinese businesses. Authorities met the demonstrations with police force and arrests. On March 15, 2025, officials allegedly used a sonic weapon against demonstrators. Vucic announced his resignation and called for early elections after another protest in June.

Polls show a divided electorate. Vladimir Bilcik, a former European Parliament rapporteur for Serbia, called this the first vote in over a decade with a genuinely uncertain outcome. The student opposition has no formal leaders. Their candidate list is headed by cardiologist Ilija Srdanovic, a nonpartisan figure. The movement stated that his position does not guarantee a premiership if they win.

The government claims it fixed issues identified by the OSCE after the 2023 election. An interim OSCE report contradicted this claim. The organization deployed 300 observers to Serbia. RFE/RL also noted an increase in eligible voters from Bosnia and Kosovo. These regions provide key support for Vucic's Progressive Party among ethnic Serbs. Four employees of Serbia-funded institutions in Kosovo said they faced pressure to vote for the ruling party.

Allegations of illegal surveillance complicate the campaign. A statement from the US Senate's Foreign Relations Committee on October 21 cited reports of monitoring opposition members. Research by the Serbian nonprofit SHARE and Toronto University researchers alleged that at least sixteen cases of the Pegasus surveillance software were used in 2026. The software is illegal in Serbia. Government officials denied targeting political rivals. Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed support for Vucic ahead of the vote.