Serbia Votes as Student Movement Challenges Vucic's 12-Year Rule
Serbia holds snap parliamentary elections on October 25, 2026, with the student-led "Student List" posing the strongest challenge to Aleksandar Vucic's Serbian Progressive Party since 2012.
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Student Movement Pushes Serbia's Vucic to the Wire in Tight Election
Serbia's parliamentary election on Sunday is expected to be extremely tight, with the Student List posing the most serious challenge to Aleksandar Vucic since his Serbian Progressive Party entered government in 2012. The movement grew out of nearly two years of anti-corruption protests sparked by the collapse of a railway station canopy in Novi Sad that killed 16 people. Instead of running themselves, student-led assemblies selected 250 candidates, headed by Novi Sad University professor Ilija Srdanovic, though the movement has no hierarchy or nominated leader. Vucic, who stepped down as president to run for prime minister, retains strong support and has cast the students as foreign-backed. Analysts say the vote is too close to call, with the Student List accusing Vucic and the SNS of dominating state institutions and media.
Read sourceSerbia Snap Elections: Student Movement Challenges Vucic's Grip on Power
Serbia holds snap parliamentary elections on October 25, 2026, after nearly two years of student-led mass protests. President Aleksandar Vučić, barred from a third presidential term, has resigned and been nominated by his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) as prime minister candidate. A decentralized student list, claiming over 200,000 activists and lacking visible leaders, campaigns on foot to mobilize non-voters, hoping to replicate the massive March 2025 Slavija Square protest. Vučić's camp labels the students disguised terrorists seeking to destroy Serbia, while critics say the early vote is meant to restore his initiative and consolidate power. Students remain confident of victory but fear possible regime-provoked violence on election night.
Read sourceTens of Thousands Rally in Belgrade Ahead of Serbia's Parliamentary Election
Three days before Serbia's parliamentary election, tens of thousands of opposition supporters marched through Belgrade and gathered at Slavija Square on Thursday evening. According to the independent group Archive of Public Gatherings, around 150,000 people attended the rally backing the student-led "Student List," which aims to end more than 14 years of rule by President Aleksandar Vučić's right-populist Serbian Progressive Party (SNS). Vučić resigned as president in late September after nine years and is now running for prime minister, a move that paved the way for Sunday's snap election and met a key demand of the student protest movement that emerged after a railway station canopy collapse in Novi Sad in November 2024 killed 16 people. Vučić calls the movement a foreign-funded coup attempt. Civil society groups say the campaign has been marked by intimidation, arrests, and misuse of public funds. Political scientist Dušan Vučićević expects the Student List to win over 40 percent of the vote.
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Serbia Votes as Student Movement Challenges Vucic's 12-Year Rule
Serbians voted on Sunday in a snap parliamentary election widely seen as a referendum on populist leader Aleksandar Vucic's 12 years in power. The main challenge comes from the "Student List - Students Win" movement, which emerged after a concrete canopy collapsed at Novi Sad train station on 1 November 2024, killing 16 people, in a tragedy critics linked to corruption and negligence. The leaderless movement, fielding candidates including cardiologist Ilija Srdanovic, has drawn anti-government voters and prompted several opposition parties to withdraw in its favour. Vucic, who has served two presidential terms and now seeks the premiership, denies corruption and alleges foreign powers are behind the protests. European observers and watchdog CRTA have raised concerns about a tense electoral climate, threats, violence and surveillance of opposition activists.
Serbia Votes as Student Movement Challenges Vucic's 12-Year Rule
Serbians vote on Sunday in a snap parliamentary election widely seen as a referendum on populist leader Aleksandar Vucic's 12 years in power. The main challenge comes from the "Student List - Students Win" movement, which emerged after a concrete canopy collapse at Novi Sad train station in November 2024 killed 16 people. The movement, which has no formal leaders, has drawn anti-government voters across society and fielded candidates including cardiologist Ilija Srdanovic, actor Tihomir Stanic and former central bank governor Dejan Soskic. Vucic, who has served as prime minister or president since 2014, is seeking to return to the prime minister's post. European observers and watchdog CRTA have raised concerns about a tense electoral climate, threats, violence and surveillance of opposition activists.