Serbia's Vucic concedes defeat

Vucic appeared in front of Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) officials and select media crews in his party headquarters at around 9:30 on Sunday night to an applause.

“It’s clear that we lost the elections,” he said. He added that the Student List will have between 130 and 140 seats in parliament. We, the SNS, will have about 105 seats and no one else will be in parliament, he added.

He said his United Serbia coalition won 1.72 million votes while the Student List won about 2.2 million votes.

Message to Dodik and Sarajevo

A part of Vucic’s address concerned Bosnia and Herzegovina.

He directly addressed Milorad Dodik, urging him to cooperate with Serbia’s new leadership and government.

"That is completely normal for us. But you will also see changes in relations with Republika Srpska and changes in relations with Sarajevo, because they lied about that too," Vucic said.

Milorad Dodik, the leader of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) and former president of Republika Srpska, one of Bosnia and Herzegovina's two entities, has been a close political ally of Vucic for years. The two have frequently emphasized strong ties between Serbia and Republika Srpska, while Dodik's secessionist rhetoric and challenges to Bosnia's state institutions have repeatedly sparked political tensions.

Vucic, however, did not specify what changes he expected in Serbia’s relations with Republika Srpska or Sarajevo.

Despite conceding defeat, Vucic insisted that his political movement would return to power.

"We will defeat this evil much sooner than they think, whatever they do," he said.

Vucic again dismisses 'Sarajevo Safari' allegations

During his address, Vucic accused his political opponents of spreading falsehoods, specifically mentioning allegations surrounding the so-called "sonic cannon" and the "Sarajevo Safari" case.

The “Sarajevo Safari” case concerns allegations that wealthy foreign nationals paid to shoot civilians from Bosnian Serb military positions during the 1992–1996 siege of Sarajevo. Croatian investigative journalist Domagoj Margetić also filed a complaint with prosecutors in Milan alleging Vucic's involvement, claims Vučić has repeatedly denied. Prosecutors in both Italy and Bosnia and Herzegovina have investigated the broader allegations.

He dismissed the allegations without providing further details and accused his opponents of using such claims against him.

Vucic also renewed his attacks on N1 Serbia and Nova S, as well as several individuals, announcing that he would become more outspoken following the election defeat.

Accusations against the EU and US

Vucic accused European countries and what he described as the American "deep state" of working to remove him from power.

He congratulated the Students’ List on its victory but simultaneously described its representatives as people carrying out a political operation designed by others.

"I congratulate them, although they are merely carrying out the dirty work that someone else designed to bring down a sovereign country," he said.

He also predicted that Serbia's incoming authorities would introduce sanctions against Russia by March or April, accusing them of concealing their intentions during the election campaign.

Says he will not obstruct the formation of a new government

Vucic said his political allies would not attempt to block the constitution of the new parliament or the formation of a government.

He stated that the parliamentary majority could convene the assembly and establish a new government within 10 to 15 days.

However, he sharply criticized the prospective administration, suggesting that it would be an expert government whose members he viewed negatively.

Vucic said his political movement was accustomed to being in opposition and would continue fighting politically.

"We know we will be targets of persecution, and no one is afraid of them," he said.

Concluding his address, Vucic insisted that he would remain in Serbia regardless of future political or legal developments.

"I love Serbia. I will never leave Serbia. Whether free or in prison, from wherever I am, I will defeat them much sooner than they think," he concluded.

Nearly 20,000 registered voters in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Serbia held early parliamentary elections on Sunday with 6,451,292 eligible voters who could cast ballots at 8,392 polling stations in the country and 93 abroad for one of the 18 electoral lists competing for 250 seats in parliament.

A total of 102,147 Serbian citizens registered to vote outside the country, at 93 polling stations in 37 countries.

Just under 20,000 Serbian citizens were registered to vote in Bosnia and Herzegovina, approximately 90 percent of them in Republika Srpska.

A total of 28 polling stations opened across the country, all of which began operating on time, according to reports from the field.

Banja Luka has the largest number of registered voters, with approximately 10,000 Serbian citizens eligible to cast their ballots.