Serbia’s student movement takes on Vucic in an uncertain election

From tragedy to protest

The movement began after a train station tragedy in northern Serbia killed 16 people in November 2024. Students demanded accountability, blaming the deaths on widespread corruption. The protests gained broad public support, spread across the country and contributed to a government collapse, putting pressure on Vucic. Psychology professor Aleksandar Baucal said the students had grown up in a society they see as deeply unjust.

A leaderless political force

The students have developed into an organized movement that says it relies on democratic decision-making and solidarity. It has no leader or spokesperson, and participants say they are equal regardless of their region or field of study.

Plans are debated and voted on in faculty assemblies, known as plenums, around the country. Student Vukasin Djinovic told The Associated Press that breaking down a personality cult had been important to the movement.

Election stakes and pressure

The Students’ List and Vucic’s Serbian Progressive Party, or SNS, are believed to be running close in the election for Serbia’s 250-member Parliament. The student-backed list includes teachers, professors, experts, athletes, farmers and artists, as well as some familiar figures, and has proposed economic and social revival plans.

Vucic has responded to the student movement with detentions, accusations of anti-state activity and alleged surveillance. The students said on Sunday that their meetings were being monitored and that authorities planned further detentions.

Claims and hopes for change

The SNS has previously faced accusations of election irregularities, including voter pressure and bribery and inflated voter lists. The party has denied those allegations. Aleksandra Krstic of Belgrade’s Faculty of Political Sciences said the students had shown they could drive political change. She said their emergence had given people hope for an alternative after 14 years of SNS rule.