BELGRADE, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- Former Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic conceded defeat in Sunday's snap parliamentary election as projections showed a student-backed movement born out of anti-corruption protests winning an outright majority in the National Assembly election.
Speaking at his campaign headquarters in Belgrade before final results were available, Vucic said a stratified sample indicated that the "Student List - Students Win" would win between 135 and 140 of the 250 parliamentary seats.
"I want to inform you that based on the stratified sample, it is clear that we have lost these elections," Vucic said. "The student-blockader list has won. They will have between 135 and 140 seats, and we will have around 105."
According to Vucic's projections, the student-backed list received approximately 2.2 million votes, while his coalition, running under the name "Aleksandar Vucic - United Serbia," secured roughly 1.72 million.
The vote determined all 250 seats in Serbia's unicameral parliament, with 126 needed for a majority. About 6.45 million voters were eligible to cast ballots at 8,392 polling stations, with 18 electoral lists competing.
The outcome would mark a major shift in Serbian politics, where Vucic and the SNS have held a dominant position since 2012.
Vucic resigned as president on Sept. 27 to take part in the parliamentary election, with a new presidential vote required by the end of December. ■