Serbian student movement formally enters parliamentary election

Serbia’s student movement, which has led nearly two years of anti-government protests, formally entered the parliamentary election race on Monday, setting up a direct challenge to populist President Aleksandar Vucic and his ruling Serbian Progressive Party.

The student-backed movement submitted its electoral list to the country’s election authorities after thousands of supporters marched through central Belgrade, the capital. The crowd applauded and chanted “Victory” before heading toward the headquarters of Serbia’s national electoral commission, according to the Associated Press.

Participants carried a huge banner reading “Students win,” along with a replica of Belgrade’s landmark Victor monument.

The October 25 parliamentary vote is expected to be a major test for Vucic, whose Serbian Progressive Party, or SNS, has maintained a firm grip on power since coming to office 14 years ago. The election will take place amid heightened political tensions, with the governing populists seeking to retain power against the backdrop of widespread public discontent.

The protests began after a November 1, 2024, train station disaster in the northern city of Novi Sad that killed 16 people. Students demanded accountability for the collapse of a concrete canopy at the station, alleging that corruption had contributed to flawed renovation work.

Near-daily demonstrations, some of which drew hundreds of thousands of people, represented the strongest challenge to Vucic since his party came to power in 2012. Vucic has served as either Serbia’s prime minister or president since 2014.

The protesting students have demanded an early parliamentary election for more than a year. Vucic, however, appears to have waited until he considered the political conditions favorable enough for his party to contest the vote.

Addressing the crowd on Monday, student representative Milica Popovic said the movement would demonstrate that “the law exists in Serbia and that justice is not the privilege of the chosen few.”

“You have told us not to give up and we haven’t,” she said. “It is now time for us to take over the institutions of this country.”

The student-backed electoral list includes university professors, teachers, experts and other candidates from a broad range of backgrounds.

Vucic has said he will resign as president on September 27 so that he can lead the SNS election campaign and become prime minister if the party wins. He is constitutionally barred from seeking another presidential term because Serbia limits presidents to two terms. A separate early presidential election will be held.

On Monday, Vucic dismissed his main opponents as a “nameless list, a list without a program, without plans, without anything.” He also alleged that his government had been targeted by an elaborate campaign of lies, including claims that Serbian authorities used a sonic weapon against peaceful protesters during a massive demonstration in Belgrade last March.

Vucic’s SNS and its ally, the Socialist Party, have already submitted their electoral lists. Several right-wing and centrist opposition parties are also expected to contest the election.

By Tamilla Hasanova