Serbia's student protest movement fields its own list in Sunday's election
The Student List, a protest movement that has shaken Serbia for two years, will contest parliamentary elections on Sunday, posing the biggest challenge to President Aleksandar Vučić's 12 years in power. Polls conflict, and experts say a close race is possible.
Serbia holds parliamentary elections on Sunday in which a student protest movement, Student List, will field its own 250 candidates for the first time. After two years of constant protests, the group represents the most serious challenge to Aleksandar Vučić, whose rule has grown increasingly authoritarian over 12 years. The students hope to repeat the defeat of Vučić's ally Viktor Orbán in Hungary six months ago.
Vučić stepped down as president last month, five months before the end of his second and final constitutional term. He aims to keep power as prime minister, leading his Serbian Progressive party (SNS). He announced his resignation in late September and called snap elections.
Origins of the protests
The movement was sparked by the collapse of a concrete canopy at Novi Sad railway station on 1 November 2024, which killed 16 people. Evidence pointed to botched modifications during refurbishment, but there is still no official finding on the cause and no official has been held accountable. When Belgrade students blocked a road in a vigil for the victims, they were attacked by an SNS mob, and the protests spread nationwide.
Campaign and outlook
The candidates were mostly nominated by university faculties, and each was approved by plenary sessions of the protests. The platform avoids divisive issues such as foreign policy: possible EU membership would be left to a referendum. The campaign centres on corruption and alleged links between the SNS and organised crime, which the government denies.
A July survey by the Serbian group CRTA and Stanford University put the students at 45% and the SNS at 36%, but more recent polls by firms the opposition considers pro-government show the SNS ahead. Experts say the race could be close, with neither side willing to accept defeat, raising the risk of unrest. Student List plans to deploy an unprecedented number of election monitors, and the movement has been preparing street tactics to defend any victory.
