Protesters Storm Serbian Television Station Following Historic Election Defeat of President Vucic

A group of protesters stormed a pro-government television station in Belgrade late Monday, interrupting a live broadcast to demand the arrest of its editor-in-chief. The incident occurred during a second night of massive nationwide celebrations following the election defeat of longtime President Aleksandar Vucic, whose 14-year grip on power appears to have come to an abrupt end.

Live footage from the newsroom of Informer TV showed approximately 30 individuals entering the facility and confronting Dragan Vucicevic, the station’s owner and editor-in-chief. Amid the chaos, protesters were heard shouting, “This is how it is in free Serbia!” and “Where is Vucic now?” as they surrounded the editor. The confrontation underscores the deep animosity many Serbians feel toward media outlets they believe acted as mouthpieces for the outgoing administration.

The unrest follows Sunday’s historic election, where the Student List—an anti-corruption movement born out of student-led protests—defeated Vucic’s alliance. Vucic has been a dominant force in Serbian politics for over a decade, serving as prime minister from 2014 and president since 2017. His political career stretches back to the era of Slobodan Milosevic, under whom he served as information minister, a period during which he first established a reputation for maintaining strict influence over the press.

Responding to the incident at Informer TV via his personal Instagram account, Vucic characterized the entry of protesters as an assault on free speech. Dressed in a jumper featuring the crossed-out word “sorry,” the outgoing president called the confrontation an attack on the freedom of journalism. Conversely, the Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia announced it would file an application to have Informer TV’s broadcasting license revoked, citing what it described as systematic violations of the law and existing program obligations.

While celebrations continued across the country with fireworks and spontaneous street gatherings, leaders of the victorious Student List movement moved quickly to discourage further escalations. The movement, which has functioned as a decentralized anti-corruption front, has not yet named a prime minister or filled key cabinet positions. However, Ilija Srdanovic, a cardiologist and the leading candidate on the movement’s election list, issued a public appeal for peace.

“We ask of you to stay calm and dignified until the end of the electoral process,” Srdanovic said in a video statement. He urged supporters not to resort to any form of violence, emphasizing that the movement’s strength lies in its peaceful transition. The calls for calm were a direct response to the heightened emotions of voters like Jana Vasic, who described the election result as “freedom from a dictatorship” that had lasted longer than her adult memory.

The tension at Informer TV was not an isolated incident. On Monday evening, another crowd gathered outside Pink TV, a private pro-Vucic station in the capital, though police successfully cordoned off the building. Meanwhile, the media landscape itself showed signs of internal fracture. In the Vojvodina region, the public broadcaster RTV began its evening news bulletin with a rare on-air apology, admitting to viewers that it had failed in its duty by providing one-sided and uncritical reporting during the election cycle.

Data from election monitoring groups support claims of severe media imbalance during the campaign. Analysis conducted last week indicated that television stations with national reach allocated approximately 75% of their political coverage to government representatives. In contrast, the Student List was reportedly portrayed in a negative light during 80% of the time it was mentioned on these channels.

These systemic issues have long been a point of contention for international observers. In the 2026 World Press Freedom Index, Serbia was ranked 104th out of 180 countries—the lowest ranking the nation has ever received and the worst within the European Union-Balkan region. As the Student List prepares to take over the government, the future of these established pro-government media entities remains a central point of debate in the country’s post-Vucic era.