The Student List coalition secured a landslide electoral victory on October 25, 2025, to defeat the ruling Serbian Progressive Party and its leader, Aleksandar Vucic. This result ended 14 years of rule by the Serbian Progressive Party, also known as the SNS, which had dominated public institutions, the media, and the national security services during that period. This electoral shift replaces a long period in which the SNS held control over the country’s primary political and security structures. European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos said that "a new chapter can begin for Serbia" because the door to the EU is open, but she also noted that the end of the old regime does not mean the EU-Serbia honeymoon can begin.
Diplomatic realignments and EU membership
The transition to the Student List government means that EU membership for Serbia is not a slam dunk. Ilija Srdanovic, who is first on the Student List, said that the new government will make goodwill gestures towards Brussels and various European capitals. Srdanovic also stated that Serbia remains committed to European integration and that the new government will continue normalisation talks between Belgrade and Pristina, with Brussels acting as the mediator for those discussions. While Marta Kos said the EU is ready to move forward together, the end of 14 years of rule by the Serbian Progressive Party means the new administration faces a difficult reengagement.
The new government will have to manage these complex relations after the long period of SNS dominance. Srdanovic confirmed the commitment to European integration, but the reality of the political shift means the transition will not be immediate. The new leadership intends to continue the process of normalization through Brussels, even as they work to establish new goodwill with European capitals. Because the previous regime controlled the national security services and the media, the new Student List administration must navigate a landscape left by 14 years of rule by Aleksandar Vucic and the Serbian Progressive Party.
