Serbians celebrate 'smell of freedom' after landmark election victory

A student-led opposition movement claimed a landmark victory over Aleksandar Vucic's right-wing populist party in Serbia's snap election on Sunday, ending 14 years of political dominance and sparking emotional celebrations throughout the capital Belgrade on Monday.

Celebrations grip capital

Drivers honked their horns throughout the city while residents flashed three fingers — the winning list's ballot number and a traditional Serbian greeting — as a celebratory mood replaced years of political tension. Many wore badges and symbols associated with the student movement, while groups of citizens gathered to clean a park between parliament and the presidency that had been occupied by Vucic loyalists for more than a year, according to AFP.

'Smells of freedom'

Medical student Milutin Kandic, 23, told AFP that the moment Vucic conceded defeat would remain seared into the memory of her generation, noting that "People are now walking around freely, smiling, and some are crying." Design student Katarina Malesevic, also 23, described the atmosphere as transformative, stating: "Today, I think, we have finally found freedom," and adding that the air throughout the city felt completely different because "Everything smells of freedom."

Political awakening

Ljubisa Vujosevic, 75, told AFP he was extremely pleased by the decisive margin of victory, which he said left Vucic's supporters with no grounds for complaint. "This change of government also means a political awakening among the people, the gaining of freedom and a change in how Serbia is portrayed in the international media," he said. The election result follows nearly two years of anti-government protests that culminated in Sunday's vote, which saw Vucic's Serbian Progressive Party lose its parliamentary majority for the first time since 2012.