By Ahmed Abdelsalam
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic conceded defeat this week after a snap election forced him from office, acknowledging his Serbian Progressive Party lost to a student-led movement that secured 2.25 million votes against the ruling party's 1.67 million. The leaderless movement, formed two years ago in response to a railway station canopy collapse in Novi Sad that killed 16 people, will now select a new prime minister and form a government.
Dejan Soskic
Dejan Soskic, 59, is an economist and professor at the University of Belgrade's Faculty of Economics who served as governor of the National Bank of Serbia from 2010 to 2012. He resigned in protest over legislative amendments he argued compromised the central bank's independence and has been a vocal critic of Vucic's government. Soskic advocates prudent public finances to support wage and pension increases and proposed weakening the dinar's exchange rate to boost export competitiveness during the campaign.
Ilija Srdanovic
Ilija Srdanovic, 55, is a practicing cardiologist and professor at the University of Novi Sad Faculty of Medicine. He became the movement's lead candidate when the ballot list was finalized in September after participating in anti-corruption demonstrations and a "Guardians of the Constitution" bicycle tour across Vojvodina. Srdanovic campaigns for a decentralized health system based on equality and declined a televised debate invitation from Vucic. He maintains that Kosovo remains an integral part of Serbia and says EU integration is not a current priority.
Dejan Bodiroga
Dejan Bodiroga, 53, is a former captain of the Yugoslav national basketball team and current EuroLeague president. A two-time FIBA World Championship gold medalist and 1996 Olympic silver medalist, he entered sports administration after retiring in 2007. Bodiroga described the election as a fight "for the return of a country that has been hijacked" and appeared at student rallies, often greeted with the 1990s slogan "We have our God, his name is Bodiroga."
Radomir Saicic
Radomir Saicic, 64, is an organic chemistry professor and member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts specializing in medicinal chemistry, including chemotherapy and antiviral therapies. He became the public face of the election victory, hailing it as a "citizens' victory" after Vucic's concession. Saicic joined protests following the 2024 Novi Sad canopy collapse, signed a petition demanding Vucic's resignation, and walked out of a SANU exhibition in May 2026 to protest an appearance by the culture minister. He describes Kosovo as a "temporarily occupied territory" and supports energy ties with Russia.
