Revolution in a small town: Serbian students win historic election, Hungarian artist enters parliament

Serbia’s student-led protest movement has achieved a historic victory in the October 25 parliamentary elections, defeating Aleksandar Vučić’s ruling Serbian Progressive Party after nearly two years of demonstrations. Átlátszó followed the election from Senta (Zenta), a predominantly Hungarian town in northern Serbia, where artist and longtime anti-government activist Tibor Lázár was elected to parliament on the students’ list. Our two video reports document his journey from street protests to politics and the celebrations following the opposition’s landslide victory.

The student movement emerged following the collapse of a concrete canopy at the recently renovated railway station in Novi Sad on November 1, 2024, which killed 16 people. The tragedy, connected to the reconstruction of the Budapest–Belgrade railway line, sparked widespread outrage and allegations of corruption and negligence.

Demonstrations quickly spread across Serbia, and university students became the driving force behind a sustained protest movement demanding accountability, political change and early elections. Despite police violence and government pressure, the demonstrations continued for almost two years, eventually forcing Vučić to call parliamentary elections.

From the streets to parliament

Our first video report, published on October 22, focuses on Tibor Lázár, a Hungarian artist living in Senta, in Serbia’s northern province of Vojvodina.

Átlátszó’s reporter József Makai had repeatedly encountered Lázár and his wife, Anikó, at anti-government demonstrations in Novi Sad, Belgrade, Subotica and elsewhere. The couple became familiar faces in our coverage of the protests, representing the determination of ordinary citizens who refused to give up their struggle against the government.

When Lázár appeared in 72nd place on the student movement’s parliamentary candidate list, we visited him at his home and studio in Senta to understand why he had decided to enter politics.

The extensive video interview explores how an artist and committed protester became a parliamentary candidate, reflecting the broader transformation of Serbia’s student-led movement from street demonstrations into an electoral challenge to the country’s long-established political elite.

A historic victory for the student movement

Our second video report, published on October 27, follows election day and its aftermath in Senta, where the student movement achieved a particularly significant victory.

According to preliminary nationwide results reported on October 26, the students’ electoral list received 52.65% of the vote, potentially securing 141 seats in Serbia’s 250-member parliament. Vučić’s Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) came second with 39.22% and a projected 103 seats. Another six seats were expected to go to ethnic minority parties, including representatives of Serbia’s Hungarian community.

The result represented a major political defeat for Vučić, who had dominated Serbian politics for years. He acknowledged the election defeat, while the student movement prepared to form the largest parliamentary group.

The outcome was particularly remarkable in Senta, traditionally a stronghold of the Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians (VMSZ), a close political ally of Vučić’s party.

According to polling-station records collected by student activists, the student-backed list received 4,209 votes in Senta municipality, considerably exceeding even the most optimistic expectations of local campaigners, who had hoped for around 3,000 votes.

The VMSZ, led by Bálint Pásztor, received 2,906 votes, while the SNS secured 2,266. The student movement thus defeated both the ruling Serbian party and its Hungarian coalition partner in a municipality where the latter had traditionally enjoyed strong support.

The victory also meant that Tibor Lázár, whom we had interviewed just days earlier, had been elected to Serbia’s National Assembly.

What comes after the victory?

Our cameras captured the atmosphere in Senta as election results emerged and supporters gathered in the town’s main square, outside the town hall, to celebrate.

For local activists, the victory was more than a change in parliamentary representation. It demonstrated that the student movement could challenge entrenched political loyalties even in smaller communities where established parties had traditionally dominated public life.

The election also raises questions about the future of the Hungarian minority’s political representation. The VMSZ is expected to retain parliamentary seats, but its defeat in Senta suggests that its longstanding dominance could face further challenges. Elections to the Hungarian National Council, the minority’s cultural self-governing body, are scheduled for November.

Meanwhile, Serbia faces a period of political transition, with a presidential election approaching following Vučić’s resignation, and uncertainty surrounding possible further elections at the provincial and municipal levels.

Together, our two video reports tell the story of a protest movement that grew out of anger over a deadly infrastructure disaster and eventually secured an electoral victory. Through the experiences of Tibor Lázár and the people of Senta, they also show how Serbia’s political transformation unfolded far beyond the capital, reaching a small Hungarian-majority town in Vojvodina.

Reporting: József Makai. Video: Attila Nuszbaum. Original reporting published by Átlátszó on October 22 and 27, 2026. English translation with help of artificial intelligence.