(Istanbul = Yonhap News) Correspondent Kim Dong-ho = Aleksandar Vucic, who has been at the top of Serbia's power for the past 14 years and eliminated political rivals, attempted to overcome anti-government public opinion through early general elections, but ultimately failed.
However, questions are raised about how the elected members of the student movement camp, who have no political experience, will manage state affairs after the change of government.
Vučić took power as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense immediately after the victory of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), which he founded, in the 2012 general elections.
In 2014, he was officially inaugurated as prime minister, and in 2017, he remained in power even after moving to the position of president, the symbolic head of state.
During his long term in power, control over check forces such as the media and the judiciary was strengthened. Several elections have been marred by allegations of voting fraud and violence.
In particular, the media, controlled by pro-government conglomerates, carried out propaganda activities that branded opposition politicians as 'traitors', and frequent early elections were detrimental to the opposition party, which lacked financial resources.
In 2024, as anti-government protests continued for about two years, sparked by a roof collapse at a train station in Novi Sad, northern Serbia, killing 16 people, Vucic decided to hold early general elections and took the bold move of stepping down from the presidency and running for prime minister again.
Attacks on political opponents continued through state-run media, and pledges were made, including cash-spreading policies, pension increases, new roads, and lower drug prices.
However, in the general election held on the 25th (local time), the votes of young people and voters who yearned for change and the eradication of corruption and collusion between politics and business gathered together, and Vučić was eventually forced to admit defeat.
Candidates from the 'Student List' camp, who won an overwhelming 52.7% of the votes in this general election, won 139 seats, the majority of the total 250 seats in the National Assembly, reducing SNS to 97 seats.
Bloomberg News diagnosed this as a “Putin-style gamble” that “backfired in an election that recorded the highest voter turnout in 33 years.” It is interpreted as an analysis that 'electoral authoritarianism', in which the ruling party continues its dictatorial power through the electoral system, has failed.
Russian President Vladimir Putin also elected his closest associate, Dmitry Medvedev, to the presidency in 2008 after two consecutive terms in office, and he himself moved down to prime minister. He returned to the presidency in 2012 after constitutional amendments related to the presidential term were made.
AFP news agency said, "The students' victory brought about significant political change in Serbia, which has a population of about 6 million," and commented that it was reminiscent of the situation where Prime Minister Viktor Orbán was defeated in Hungary last April.
AFP pointed out that this could also serve as inspiration for the recent student movement across Europe demanding a better educational environment and future.
It is believed that the fierce protests taking place in places such as Paris, France, Milan, Italy, and Barcelona, Spain may receive momentum depending on the results of elections in Hungary and Serbia.
However, in Serbia, which has achieved its first regime change in 14 years, a vague sense of anxiety is felt beneath the celebratory atmosphere.
In fact, it is unclear who will serve as prime minister or cabinet member as there is no clear leadership, let alone a person with extensive political experience, among the candidates elected from the student list filled with experts from various fields such as university professors, actors, and farmers.
The opposition party's position is that it will pursue reforms with the goals of eradicating corruption, reforming the judiciary, improving the election environment, and promoting media diversity.
However, Bloomberg predicted that the student list camp is likely to continue Vucic's geopolitical balance strategy for a considerable period of time. This is because both sides have similar policies, such as not recognizing Kosovo's unilaterally claimed independence and not participating in the European Union's sanctions against Russia.
