This story has moved on: Student-led challengers rally in Belgrade ahead of Serbian election

Summarised from 2 outlets · 4 reports · Updated 21 Oct, 11:32 · Archive

Serbian students who led anti-corruption protests for nearly two years are backing the Students' List in a parliamentary election on Sunday against Aleksandar Vucic's Serbian Progressive Party.

Serbian university students have led mass anti-corruption protests for nearly two years and are now attempting to defeat populist leader Aleksandar Vucic in a parliamentary election on Sunday. The student movement began as a struggle for justice after a train station tragedy in the country's north killed 16 people in November 2024. Students blamed the deaths on rampant corruption and called for accountability, which found widespread support and led to a government collapse.

Vucic's Serbian Progressive Party, or SNS, recently led him to resign as president to run as prime minister, aiming to extend his right-wing party's 14-year rule. The election is being contested by the Students' List, a movement of 250 candidates supported by the student protesters. Having marched and cycled across Serbia, the students held a final campaign rally in Belgrade on Thursday expected to draw tens of thousands of people.

The race is tight. Opinion polls have varied wildly, with some giving the Students' List a lead of almost ten percentage points whilst others suggest it is neck and neck. Tensions remain high with the stakes. Neither side is prepared to accept a loss as a legitimate result, raising fears of potential post-election violence and unrest.

Psychology professor Aleksandar Baucal, an early supporter of the students now on their election ticket, says the students' drive is rooted in the fact that 'their generation grew up in a society that is deeply unjust'. 'They realized that if they gave up, they would give up on their lives,' he said.

The Guardian notes that the students' movement could echo the defeat of Vucic's ally Viktor Orban in neighbouring Hungary six months ago, potentially bringing a democratic resurgence to central Europe. The student campaign has been unorthodox, with volunteers equipped with mobile apps that mapped visited homes and the level of support in each area.

How it is being reported

• A gen Z protest movement could be about to oust Serbia’s strongman. Here’s why that will shake Europe | Misha GlennyStudent activists seem set to defeat Aleksandar Vučić at the ballot box this Sunday. The EU should never have written off Serbian democracy History may not be about to repeat itself in Serbia, but it is beginning to rhyme. Just over a quarter of a century ago, Serbian citizens turned out to vote in large numbers to inflict a historic defeat on the then strongman in Belgrade, Slobodan Milošević, who was seeking re-election as president. He lost despite his extensive control over the media, the judiciary and the security forces. When he was reluctant to leave office, Serbs poured on to the…The Guardian · 21 Oct, 08:00
• A student protest movement has gripped Serbia for two years. This weekend it will try to take powerUnorthodox campaign is challenging the ruling party’s 12-year reign with a bold democratic experiment On a cool autumn evening, a team of Serbian student volunteers went canvassing in the housing estates of Krnjača, a Belgrade suburb. They were equipped with lanyards emblazoned with the word “victory”, a stock list of questions and a mobile app that mapped visited homes and the level of support in each. The volunteers were part of a mass student movement, Student List, that has rocked Serbia with two years of constant protests. On Sunday, the group will represent the most serious challenge…Guardian World · 21 Oct, 05:00
• How Serbia's protesting students became key to the upcoming electionsA final campaign rally in Belgrade on Thursday is expected to draw tens of thousands of studentsIndependent World · 19 Oct, 13:52
• From protests to election, Serbia's students mount a challenge to populist strongman VucicSerbia’s university students have led mass anti-corruption protests for nearly two yearsThe Independent · 19 Oct, 11:59

In this story: Aleksandar Vucic · Serbian Progressive Party · Students' List · Serbia · Belgrade · Aleksandar Baucal · Viktor Orban

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