Costa congratulated Student List on victory according to preliminary data — The Rio Times

European Council President António Costa called Serbian Student List leader Ilija Srdanović and congratulated him on the victory reported by preliminary projections. Costa said that Serbia’s parliament should be convened as soon as possible, a government should be formed, and a peaceful transfer of power should be ensured with respect for the voting results, The Rio Times reports.

Call for reforms

In a post on social network X, Costa said that Serbia has a place in the European Union and that Brussels is ready to support its European path. He named the rule of law, the fight against corruption, and media freedom among the reforms that, he said, Serbian voters are demanding.

Student List emerged amid street protests, and Srdanović is a cardiologist by profession. The conversation with Costa took place before Serbia’s Republican Electoral Commission announced the final distribution of mandates.

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Preliminary results

According to projections by Ipsos and the Serbian election-monitoring organization CeSID, Student List may win 141 of the 250 seats in parliament and around 53% of the vote. A majority requires 126 mandates, so with such results the list could form a government on its own.

Aleksandar Vučić’s “United Serbia” list, according to these estimates, is receiving 103 seats and approximately 38.8% of the vote. The final results are to be determined by the Republican Electoral Commission. CeSID notes that its sample does not cover polling stations abroad, so the final distribution of mandates may change. After parliament is convened, lawmakers are to elect a government, while the candidacy of the future prime minister has not yet been determined.