The outcome would end the Serbian Progressive Party’s (SNS) parliamentary majority after more than a decade of political dominance.

Crowds gathered in central Belgrade, cheering, chanting and lighting flares. Celebrations spilled onto roads, slowing traffic as drivers and motorcyclists sounded their horns and exchanged victory signs with bystanders.

Addressing supporters in Belgrade, Vucic acknowledged the student-backed list’s victory but pledged to challenge the incoming government from opposition.

“The student blockade list won,” he said.

In his election-night remarks, Vucic estimated that the student-backed movement would secure between 135 and 140 seats, compared with around 105 for his own side.

“We will have 105 MPs, 100, 105, 106, when it matters, and we will fight and show them what an opposition is,” he said.

Vucic also accused foreign powers of helping bring about his defeat, alleging support from European countries and what he called the American “deep state”.

“This was the verification of a revolution carried out with the direct support of various European countries and the American deep state, the one that opposed President Trump,” he claimed.

He predicted that Serbia’s next government would impose sanctions on Russia by March or April, accusing his opponents of concealing their intentions during the campaign.

“They will do everything they didn’t want to tell you, everything they lied about,” he said.

The election followed nearly two years of student-led anti-corruption protests triggered by the collapse of a railway station canopy in Novi Sad in November 2024, which killed 16 people.

Estimated turnout reached 69.3 per cent, according to CeSID–Ipsos.

The Student List’s projected 140 seats would put it above the 126 needed for a parliamentary majority, allowing it to form a government without support from other electoral lists.

Election authorities must finalise the results before the new parliament convenes and the government-formation process begins.

"That thing that you can see there right across this boat, those ships were never been visible," one resident said.

The vessels were among nearly 200 military and support ships scuttled by retreating German forces in 1944 to prevent them from falling into the hands of the advancing Red Army and to block the Danube shipping channel.

Some of the wrecks are believed to contain unexploded ammunition, making them dangerous to remove and a continuing hazard to river traffic. Their presence has narrowed the navigable channel near Prahovo from about 180 metres to 100 metres during periods of low water .

Serbia and the European Union are carrying out a project to remove 21 of the most obstructive wrecks from a five-kilometre section of the river. Two vessels were recovered in 2024, with work expected to continue until 2028.

Record low water levels across parts of Serbia and neighbouring countries have disrupted cargo traffic, tourism and energy production while exposing shipwrecks and other remains that had been hidden for decades.

The Danube flows for around 2,850 kilometres from Germany's Black Forest to the Black Sea, passing through or bordering ten countries.

Countries like Serbia and the Ottoman Empire are shaded the darkest, indicating that more than 10% of their populations died; other nations fall into bands ranging from 4‑10% down to below 0.5%.

Historians still debate how many people died in the Great War. According to the French Institute for Demographic Studies (INED), the conflict caused nearly 10 million military deaths . The institute notes that over 2 million Germans, nearly 2 million Russians, nearly 1.5 million French, about 800,000 Britons and 650,000 Italians were killed.

An article for the U.S. television network History cites an official post‑war report noting that the Allied powers: Britain, France, Russia, Italy, Serbia, the United States and others, lost around 5.4 million military personnel , including 885,138 Britons, 1,397,800 French soldiers, 1,811,000 Russians, 651,000 Italians, 275,000 Serbs and 116,708 Americans.

The Central Powers: Germany, Austria‑Hungary, the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria lost about four million soldiers. The same article notes that fatalities included those who died from wounds, disease and accidents.

Countries that lost more than 10% of their people

The darkest shading on the map highlights nations where more than one in ten people died. Serbia is the most extreme example. Small yet caught at the heart of the conflict, Serbia lost about 275,000 soldiers, according to the Allied report cited by History.

The demographic impact was catastrophic. INED describes France as the allied country with the highest proportion of deaths after Serbia, implying that Serbia’s losses were even higher relative to its population. Many demographers estimate that around one‑sixth of Serbia’s pre‑war population perished when military and civilian deaths are combined.

The Ottoman Empire (modern‑day Turkey) also appears in the darkest category. The International Encyclopedia notes that losses were particularly heavy for Turkey because poor sanitation and food shortages added to battlefield deaths. Official figures vary widely: one table in the encyclopedia lists military deaths ranging from 325,000 to 804,000.

Factoring in civilians, some historians estimate the empire lost more than 13% of its population. Parts of Africa and the Middle East, such as German East Africa (present‑day Tanzania) and Libya, also show extremely high mortality in the map, reflecting local conflicts and famine.