Serbia’s strongman and longtime nationalist leader Aleksandar Vucic has conceded defeat in the ongoing parliamentary elections.
Mr Vucic, who spoke to supporters at the headquarters of his Serbian Progressive Party on Sunday, stated, “It is clear that we have lost these elections.”
Citing a sample of votes, Mr Vucic noted that the opposition group Student List was projected to win between 135 and 140 seats in the 250-member parliament, higher than the 105 seats for his electoral list.
“We don’t have the final results. Many will be surprised, and you will realise how much some people have lied and what they have fabricated. I want to inform you that the student-led protest list has won,” he added.
Meanwhile, Radomir Saicic, an academic and a Student List candidate, hailed the results at the movement’s headquarters in New Belgrade.
Mr Saicic described the results as “a victory of courage over fear, a victory of hope over indifference and a victory of faith that Serbia can and must be different”.
“Thank you for every step, every hour, every sacrifice and every moment in which you chose not to give up. Thank you to everyone who raised their voice, who stood together and who showed that the future of this country does not belong to a select few, but to all its citizens,” he stated.
Mr Vucic, who resigned as president last month to seek a return to the prime minister’s office, was defeated amid nearly two years of student-led protests in the country.
The snap parliamentary election was called on September 9, when Mr Vucic dissolved parliament amid the anti-government protests over government corruption and negligence.