Serbians are voting on Sunday 25 October in a snap parliamentary election that pits President Aleksandar Vučić’s ruling camp against a student-led list born of nearly two years of protests. Follow every development in our Serbia Election 2026 coverage, with polls open until 20:00 CET (3:00 p.m. ET).
Key Facts
- Polls: Open 07:00 to 20:00 CET on Sunday 25 October (2:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET).
- Seats: 250-seat National Assembly, 18 electoral lists, 3% threshold to enter parliament.
- Voters: 6,450,523 registered voters on the 9 October register.
- Abroad: 102,147 voters registered in 37 countries, up from about 39,000 in 2023.
- Prediction markets: Kalshi (CFTC-regulated) prices SNS-led list 75%, Student List 26% to win, 4:27 a.m. ET.
Polls Open Across Serbia
Polling stations opened nationwide at 07:00 CET on Sunday 25 October for a snap election to fill all 250 seats in the National Assembly. The Republic Electoral Commission (RIK), the state body that runs the vote, has up to 96 hours after polls close to publish the official result.
RIK counts 6,450,523 registered voters, based on the register of 9 October, and printed the same number of ballots. Voters choose among 18 lists, and a list needs 3% to enter parliament, with seats shared proportionally under the d’Hondt method.
Vučić Camp Faces Student Challenge
The contest is mainly between the ruling camp of President Aleksandar Vučić, who has led Serbia for more than a decade, and the student-backed Student List. Analysts treat the vote as a referendum on his governing system after nearly two years of student-led protests.
President Vučić called the early election on 9 September 2026 and dissolved parliament. Both the governing side and the Student List have claimed to be ahead, while polls have diverged, as our Saturday report noted.
What Prediction Markets Say
On Kalshi, the SNS-led list, Vučić’s ruling Serbian Progressive Party, was priced at 75% to win the parliamentary election and the Student List at 26%, at 4:27 a.m. ET on 25 October. The market had 53,543 contracts traded.
Kalshi also lists a vote-share market for the Student List, with prices of 90% for at least 34%, 64% for at least 42% and 15% for at least 50%. Kalshi is regulated in the US by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), and its prices are last-traded bets, not polls.
Why we show this: prediction markets turn real-money bets into a live probability that moves within minutes of the news, which is why investors, campaigns and newsrooms in the United States now follow them closely. We show them next to polls and official results, never instead of them.
Monitors Flag Campaign Concerns
The monitoring group CRTA said the campaign had worsened since its earlier assessment, and it recorded 116 incidents of physical violence or verbal threats. It also said governing parties received about 77% of political airtime on national broadcasters.
CRTA deployed 2,500 observers at 500 sampled polling stations and planned a parallel vote count to check the official result. It said the voter-register audit commission had distanced itself from the Government IT Office’s findings on the register.
Diaspora Voting Expands
A total of 102,147 voters registered to vote abroad in 37 countries, against about 39,000 in 2023.
What It Means for You
If you follow European politics from the United States, this vote tests whether a long-dominant leader can withstand a youth-led protest movement in a Balkan state. The result could shape Serbia’s balance between Western institutions and its ties to Russia and China.
If you travel to Serbia, expect protests or rallies around the count in Belgrade and check your government’s travel advice. Final turnout and the result will be clearer after polls close at 20:00 CET.
What Is Not Known
No official turnout figure was available at the time of writing. CRTA planned interim turnout projections for 10:00, 13:00, 16:00 and 19:00 CET.
The winner and the size of any majority are unknown. The integrity of the voter register is contested, and no independent audit has been completed.
Sources
The Rio Times Serbia election updates · Republic Electoral Commission of Serbia · Government of Serbia · CRTA · Kalshi
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
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Frequently Asked Questions
When do polls close in Serbia’s parliamentary election?
Polls close at 20:00 CET on Sunday 25 October 2026, which is 3:00 p.m. ET. The Republic Electoral Commission has up to 96 hours after polls close to publish the official result.
Who are the main contenders in Serbia’s election?
The main contest is between the ruling camp of President Aleksandar Vučić and the student-backed Student List. Eighteen electoral lists are running in total.
How many people can vote in Serbia’s election?
The Republic Electoral Commission says 6,450,523 voters are registered, based on the register of 9 October 2026. A further 102,147 voters registered to vote abroad in 37 countries.
How are seats won in the Serbian parliament?
A list needs at least 3% of the vote to enter the 250-seat National Assembly. Seats are then shared proportionally under the d’Hondt method.
What do prediction markets say about the vote?
On Kalshi, the SNS-led list was priced at 75% and the Student List at 26% to win at 4:27 a.m. ET on 25 October. These are bets, not polls or forecasts.
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