Serbia’s parliamentary election turnout is estimated at 60.9% by 5 p.m. local time on Sunday, October 25, according to Ipsos/CeSID — compared with 47.2% at the same hour in 2023, an increase of 13.7 percentage points. The Republic Electoral Commission (RIK) separately reported 56.38% turnout by 4 p.m., up from 42.36% in 2023. Serbian media have also reported an attack in Pančevo and the interruption of voting at a polling station in Leskovac.
The 60.9% figure is a sample-based estimate of voter turnout, not a vote count or a projection of the election result. It does not establish whether the governing Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), the student-backed list, or any other electoral list is ahead.
Turnout reaches 60.9% by 5pm, up 13.7 points from 2023
According to the Ipsos/CeSID estimate reported by Mondo on October 25, 60.9% of voters had cast ballots by 5 p.m., based on a sample of 750 polling stations. At the same hour in the 2023 parliamentary election, turnout was reported at 47.2%, a year-on-year election comparison of +13.7 percentage points. This is a comparison of reported measurements at the same time of day; it does not indicate which party or list is ahead.
The official RIK turnout report put participation at 56.38% by 4 p.m., compared with 42.36% at 4 p.m. on December 17, 2023, a difference of 14.02 percentage points. The election commission reported 58.76% in Vojvodina, 57.68% in Belgrade, 55.29% in Šumadija and western Serbia, and 53.34% in southern and eastern Serbia at that point.
Earlier 4pm estimates
By 4 p.m. on October 25, turnout had reached 56.6% according to an Ipsos estimate reported by Srbija Danas. Ipsos had estimated 51.9% by 3 p.m.
On December 17, 2023, independent election observer CRTA recorded 42.1% turnout by 4 p.m., with a reported margin of error of ±0.8 percentage points. The 2023 election commission figure at 4 p.m. was 42.36%. The current Ipsos estimate is therefore around 14 percentage points above the corresponding 2023 readings, but the organisations’ different samples mean this is an indicative comparison, not an identical-methodology series.
Turnout reflects participation, not votes for individual parties. The increase should not be interpreted as proof of any electoral outcome.
Earlier turnout readings
According to Niš TV and RTCG, the Ipsos/CeSID estimate was based on 86.1% of its processed sample. By 2 p.m., 46.4% of eligible voters were estimated to have cast ballots, compared with 32.2% at the same hour in the December 2023 parliamentary election.
Earlier, the independent monitoring organisation CRTA reported turnout of 41.1% by 1 p.m., compared with 26.6% by that time in 2023. CRTA’s figures come from a separate monitoring sample and should not be treated as a continuous series with the Ipsos/CeSID estimates.
The sharp increase in participation is one of the defining developments of election day. But turnout alone says nothing certain about the preferences of people casting ballots: a rise can reflect mobilisation across several competing political camps.
Attack on Student List monitors reported in Pančevo
The Serbian outlet Mašina reported that a group of masked men attacked election monitors associated with the Student List in Pančevo using pyrotechnic devices. According to the report, several people were struck in the head and police arrived at the scene. The account was also carried by Vijesti.
N1 separately reported footage of masked attackers striking a group of young men near a polling station in Pančevo with metal bars and flares. The circumstances, identities and full extent of any injuries remain subject to confirmation by the authorities. Votendi is treating these accounts as media reports, not independently established findings.
Voting interrupted in Leskovac after ballot-box incident
Voting was reportedly interrupted shortly after 3 p.m. at a polling station in the Centar neighbourhood of Leskovac after a ballot box was damaged and a confrontation took place. Local outlet JUGpress reported that a polling-board member broke the box and struck a student-backed list representative. Police attended the scene.
Accounts of how the confrontation began and who was responsible differ. Other local reporting describes a dispute over voting procedures that escalated into a physical altercation. As tportal summarised, the conflicting reports had not been independently resolved; no definitive conclusion about responsibility should be drawn at this stage.
Other complaints and allegations involving voters from Titel
According to N1’s election-day reporting, additional suspected electoral irregularities were referred to prosecutors in Leskovac.
The electoral list European Serbia also alleged that the SNS had organised the transport of voters from Titel to Belgrade, where they were to vote despite receiving voting notifications in Titel. This is an allegation by a political participant, reported by N1; Votendi has not independently verified it, and it should not be presented as proof of an electoral offence.
Ombudsman reports more calls, many concerning elderly voters
Serbia’s ombudsman, Zoran Pašalić, said his office was receiving more calls than during previous elections. In comments carried by FoNet and N1 at around 2:30 p.m., he said many callers were elderly citizens unable to travel to polling stations who needed assistance exercising their right to vote. Other callers reported different possible irregularities.
The increased volume of calls does not mean that every complaint has been substantiated. It does, however, underline the pressure on electoral administrators and oversight institutions on a day of unusually heavy participation.
What happens next?
Polling stations are scheduled to close at 8 p.m. in Serbia (7 p.m. UTC). Only verified vote counts and appropriately explained election-night projections can indicate how the 250-seat parliament may be composed. Turnout estimates must not be confused with votes for parties or candidates.
Votendi will follow the official results and key developments throughout the evening. Read our election-night coverage overview and the earlier Serbia election-day report.
