Serbia's Republic Electoral Commission (RIK) adopted the final results of the 25 October parliamentary election on the evening of 5 November, confirming that the Student List will hold a majority in the new parliament. With less than a month to go before pavilions are handed over to participating countries on 1 December, the question for everyone working on Expo 2027 Belgrade has shifted. It is no longer whether the Expo goes ahead, but how the next government will handle the contracts and spending still in the pipeline.
Since our first post-election report on 27 October, four things have changed: the results are final, the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) has commented again, the outgoing camp is pressing for decisions on large procurements, and more detail has emerged on what the incoming majority wants to review.
The final numbers
According to Tanjug, RIK unanimously adopted the results:
- Studentska lista – Studenti pobeđuju: 2,354,417 votes, 140 seats;
- Aleksandar Vučić – Ujedinjena Srbija: 1,731,323 votes, 103 seats;
- Ivica Dačić – Faktor stabilnosti: 94,766 votes, no seats;
- seven seats for national minority lists.
Tanjug also reported that the constitutive session of the new parliament is to be held within 30 days. Until a new government is elected, the current one remains in a technical mandate.
Pressure over large procurements
On 4 November, Aleksandar Vučić, who led the Ujedinjena Srbija list, said in a live TikTok address that the government in technical mandate should soon know whether to continue the large Expo procurements, B92 reported. He warned that dropping the Expo would mean lower economic growth next year and smaller wage and pension rises. "If you won't do the Expo, it is a great shame for the state, but tell us that you won't," he said.
No such decision has been announced. Forbes Srbija reported on 6 November that around 157 billion dinars (about €1.33 billion) was spent on the Surčin complex from 2023 to the end of September, with about 21.47 billion dinars (around €183 million) still planned for the rest of the year. The 2027 budget has not been adopted.
What the BIE, the organiser and the Student List say
BIE Secretary General Dimitri Kerkentzes told Forbes Srbija that Expo 2027 "is a national project, not the project of any single government", and that the commitments are Serbia's as a state and remain valid after a change of government. The BIE said it had not been informed of any change to the timetable.
The state company Expo 2027 d.o.o. said it does not take part in political processes, will keep reporting to the government as before, and hopes the project's benefits will be recognised by the new government. It pointed out that Milan 2015 and Osaka 2025 also went through government changes during preparation.
The Student List has not published a detailed Expo plan and did not answer questions from Forbes. Its programme, as quoted by Mondo, says that Expo, Belgrade Waterfront, Generalštab, the Belgrade Fair and other projects declared of national interest "will be reviewed before an independent Commission for the Review of Capital Investments", with procedures starting as soon as the government is formed. Individual candidates have said Serbia will respect its international obligations.
Procurement figures in focus
On 4 November the organiser defended its tendering record. According to Tanjug, Expo 2027 d.o.o. has run 152 procurement procedures since 2024 and received 293 bids, an average of 1.93 bids per procedure, rising from 1.53 in 2024 to 2.17 in 2026. The anti-corruption group Transparentnost Srbija, monitoring around €550 million of procurement by the special Expo companies, put the average at 1.64 bids and 1.16 acceptable bids per procedure. The two sets of figures cover different scopes, so they are not directly comparable.
What it means for contractors and suppliers
- Pavilion fit-out work is the least exposed. Contracts with foreign participants depend on their own budgets, and the BIE says the 1 December handover stands.
- Expect delays on new state tenders. With a technical government and a review promised, large new procurements and contract amendments may slow down in November and December.
- Prepare for audits. A review commission would look at contracts, prices and subcontracts. Keep invoices, change orders and acceptance records complete.
- Belgrade Fair users should watch closely. The Fair is named in the same review list. No decision about the venue has been announced, but exhibitors and stand builders planning 2027 bookings should follow developments.
We will report on the new government's first decisions on Expo 2027 as soon as they are made.
Sources
- www.tanjug.rs
- forbes.n1info.rs
- mondo.rs
- www.b92.net
- www.tanjug.rs
Photo: Igor Rusakov / Unsplash licence / source
