After 14 years of dominance in Serbian politics, Aleksandar Vuciq has conceded defeat in the October 25th extraordinary parliamentary elections, warning the end of a political era that was characterised by the concentration of power, accusations of weakening democracy, media control and close relations with Russia.
based on the sample, it is clear that we lost these elections, Vuciq has declared from the Serbian Progressive Party’s election headquarters ( The SNS, according to reports forwarded by Serbian media.
According to preliminary figures presented by him, the student list has secured about 130 parliamentary mandates, while the SNS and its allies around 105 mandates. If these results are confirmed, the student movement will have a majority in the 250-seat parliament.
But who is Aleksandar Vuciq, the politician who for more than a decade dominated Serbia’s institutions and who became one of the most controversial political figures in the Balkans?
His political career began in the years of dealt with Vojislav Sheshel’s Serbian Radical Party, a political force known for its harsh nationalism and anti-Western rhetoric.
In 1998, during Slobodan Milosevic’s regime, Vuciq was appointed minister of information in Serbia. During his mandate, restrictive measures were adopted against independent media, which faced heavy fines and state pressure.
This period coincided with the escalation of the conflict in Kosovo and the crackdown on media critical of the Milosevic regime.
Following Milosevic’s ouster in 2000, Vuciq continued political activity among Serb radicals until 2008, when he joined Tomislav Nikolic at the founding of the Serbian Progressive Party.
The SNS was presented as a more pragmatic and oriented force towards European integration, though Vuciq maintained a nationalist approach towards Kosovo and close political ties with Moscow.
His return to power took place in 2012, initially as deputy prime minister and defence minister. In 2014 he became prime minister, and in 2017 he took up the post of president of Serbia.
During this period, Vuciq built a political system in which power focused increasingly on him and the Serbian Progressive Party.
International organisations for the protection of democracy and media freedom have constantly raised concerns about weakening independent institutions, pressure on journalists and the uneven conditions of political competition.
Kosovo remained one of the central issues of its policy.
During Vuciqi’s rule, relations between Kosovo and Serbia were marked by continuing crisis, tensions in the north and diplomatic clashes.
One of the worst episodes occurred on September 24th 2023 in Zvecan Banjska, when an armed Serb group attacked the Kosovo Police, killing Sergeant Africa Bulnjak.
The responsibility for organising the attack was taken by Milan Radoic, former deputy chairman of the Serbian List, who had political ties to power structures in Belgrade.
Kosovo authorities have repeatedly accused Serbia of supporting illegal and criminal structures in the north, while Belgrade has denied state involvement in Banjska’s attack.
In foreign policy, Vuciq tried to maintain a balance between the European Union, Russia and China.
Although Serbia remained formally a candidate country for EU membership, its government maintained close relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin and did not join European sanctions against Russia following the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
At the same time, Belgrade deepened economic and technological co-operation with China, turning this relationship into an important pillar of Serbian foreign policy.
For his political opponents, Vuciq became a symbol of an authoritarian system based on institutional control, media dominance and nationalist rhetoric. His supporters, meanwhile, have presented him as guarantor of Serbia’s stability and economic development.
However, student protests and civic mobilization exposed a significant political challenge, creating an alternative to SNS’s multi-year domination.
Accepting the election defeat by Vuciqi marks a historic twist for Serbia and would open a new political period, with possible implications for Belgrade’s relations with Kosovo, the European Union and Russia as well. /Telegraphy.