Student movement unseats Serbia's leader Vucic in historic victory

Thousands of jubilant citizens flooded the streets of Belgrade on Sunday after Serbia's long-serving leader Aleksandar Vucic conceded defeat in a historic parliamentary election.

Students hailed this victory: "everything we've worked for so far."

The vote marked an extraordinary political shift in the Balkan nation where Vucic had held power for 14 years.

"An outpouring of ecstatic celebration has come out onto the streets of Serbia's capital Belgrade tonight after the country's long-serving leader, Aleksandar Vucic, conceded defeat in an election where he was challenged by a student-backed protest movement.

The student group has protested Vucic's government for the last two years, accusing it of corruption and of breaking down Serbia's democracy.

That all came after a tragic accident at a railway station that killed 16 people two years ago.

The students have blamed Vucic's government for negligence and for causing that tragic accident." reported Justin Spike from The Associated Press.

The election ended 14 years of near-absolute power for the Serbian President who addressed the nation as results came in.

In his concession address, Vucic admitted his party had lost, projecting that the youth-backed Students' List would take between 135 and 140 seats in parliament compared to "around" 105 for his party.

In the capital, citizens destroyed barricades and tents set up outside state institutions, setting one abandoned camp on fire as police vehicles withdrew.

Aerial footage showed Slavija Square packed with celebrating crowds while cars honked through the streets.

"When I see all these people, everyone greets with smiles.

We are all too happy, finally we are becoming one normal and free country." said one protestor.

For the university activists who had occupied campuses and marched across cities, Sunday's vote marked the end of a 2-year struggle to unseat the government.

However, there are still uncertainties ahead as no candidate has clearly emerged to lead a new government.

It is also unclear whether Serbia can join the European Union due to the unresolved matter of the recognition of Kosovo as an independent state.