Serbia Votes Sunday as Student List Defies 14-Year Ruling Party

Serbia holds a parliamentary election on Sunday.

The vote marks the first genuinely competitive contest since Aleksandar Vucic’s Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) seized power in 2012. On Thursday evening, thousands gathered in Belgrade for the final rally of the Student List, a candidate group backed by a student movement that has protested the government for nearly two years. Many attendees had walked for days from across the country to reach the capital. Biology student Arsa Stojanovic told the crowd that the walkers had crossed Serbia from end to end and learned they could count on the people. Aleksandar Cupic, a transport professor and Student List candidate, said it “smells like freedom.” The event closed with a kolo, a traditional circle dance.

The movement launched after a concrete canopy collapsed at the Novi Sad railway station in November 2024, killing 16 people. Students frame the vote as a chance to confront corruption and demand accountability for the disaster. They have sought to bypass traditional ideological and foreign policy divisions in Serbian politics. Political scientist Dusan Spasojevic told DW that polls suggest the Student List could win more than 40% of the vote. He described the current climate as generating hope and substantial support for the group.

The SNS held a rival closing rally nearby. The party argued that a vote for SNS ensures stability, continuity, and prosperity, while change risks chaos. Vucic accused opponents of serving foreign interests and attacking the party with billions of euros. He claimed opponents tried to destroy the country on foreign orders.

The independent monitoring group CRTA recorded 116 incidents of physical violence or verbal threats during the campaign. These included attacks on campaigners and attempts to seize banners. CRTA reported that almost three-quarters of national television airtime went to government representatives, while over 80% of coverage of the Student List was negative. The group stated the campaign was neither free nor fair. The Balkan Investigative Reporting Network published testimony from a former SNS member describing pressure on public sector employees to deliver votes. Anonymous sources told DW that voters were offered between €30 and €150, or family holiday packages, to support the SNS.

Authorities have warned for weeks that students are preparing street violence, aided by foreign intelligence services. Several people have been arrested on suspicion of plotting disturbances for election night. Spasojevic said a decisive win for either camp would be best, but polls point to a narrow margin. He added that a narrow SNS victory would almost certainly be contested, and the movement has vowed to defend every vote. An EU Commission spokesperson told DW that key recommendations on improving Serbia’s electoral framework remain unimplemented. The spokesperson stressed that democracy and the rule of law are central to Serbia’s accession process, a status it has held since 2012.